Jennifer Abadi lives in New York City and is a researcher, developer, and preserver of Sephardic and Judeo-Arabic recipes and food customs. A culinary expert in the Jewish communities of the Middle East, Mediterranean, Central Asia, and North Africa, Jennifer teaches cooking at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) and at the Jewish Community Center Manhattan (JCC). She also offers private lessons and works for a variety of clients in the New York City area as a personal chef. In addition, Jennifer provides Jewish food and culture tours on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
Her first cookbook-memoir, A Fistful of Lentils: Syrian-Jewish Recipes From Grandma Fritzie’s Kitchen, is a collection of recipes and stories from her family. Too Good To Passover: Sephardic & Judeo-Arabic Seder Menus and Memories from Africa, Asia and Europe, her second cookbook released in January 2018, specializes in traditional Sephardic, Judeo-Arabic, and Central Asian recipes and customs (covering both pre and post Passover rituals) appealing to Sephardic, Mizrahic, and Ashkenazic individuals who are interested in incorporating something traditional yet new into their Seders.
On this Weekend Special, Jennifer shares the etymology of the word “Quarantine” and highlights Passover foods and traditions in African, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries.
LINKS:
A Fistful of Lentils: Syrian-Jewish Recipes From Grandma Fritzie’s Kitchen
I just listened to your interview with Jennifer abati and enjoyed it very much. It put me in a Pesach-y mood, which I was not feeling in my self-isolation. Thank you for that and for your phone call. Talking with you is always “hamish”. And now I know where that word comes from! Have a good and healthy holiday. Hag Sameach. Love, Natalie