Recipes from the Ghetto
for use with
Light from the Darkness: A Ritual for Holocaust Remembrance
The women in the ghettos dreamed of the recipes they loved to cook. They reminisced together and wrote down their favorite recipes, as best as they could remember them. Sometimes they argued over how to make them.
Several cookbooks have survived the ghettos. Here are three recipes based on the recipes in one of these cookbooks, In Memory’s Kitchen.
Using these as noshes before or oneg after your ceremony can anchor your commemoration in the lives and memories of those you are remembering.
Danish Dumplings
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 1 cup flour
- 4 eggs
- Clear broth soup, simmering
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil.
- Drop butter into water. Stir until melted.
- Add salt and parsley.
- Add flour. Stir until thoroughly blended.
- Remove from heat.
- Beat in one egg. Once this egg is well blended, beat in the next egg. Repeat until all four eggs are added.
- Drop the dumplings into the simmering broth, leave until they float. Test one for the doneness you prefer.
Czech Ginger-Cinnamon Cookies
Ingredients
- 2⅓ cup flour
- 1¼ cup sugar
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons honey (warm)
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons rum
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (if you use dry lemon zest, add 1 teaspoon lemon juice)
Instructions
- Combine the dry ingredients.
Mix thoroughly. - Add honey, egg, lemon zest, and rum.
- Wrap in plastic. Let rest at least 30 min.
- Heat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Roll the dough into small balls,
flatten slightly. - Sprinkle sugar on the top.
- Cook for 15 min.
German Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoons vanilla
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup flour
- ½ cup oatmeal
- Pinch of salt
- Raspberry preserves
(or other sweet jam)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Blend butter and brown sugar.
- Add vanilla and egg yolk.
Blend until smooth. - Add dry ingredients and blend.
- Roll the dough into balls.
- Make a thumbprint depression in each.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Fill each depression with a spoonful (about ½ tsp) of jam.
- Bake for another 10 minutes.
Sources
The original inspiration for these recipes comes from In Memory’s Kitchen: A Legacy from the Women of Terezin, edited by Cara de Silva, Jason Aronson, Inc, 1996.
The recipes in this book tend to be thin on specifics, however. The recipes listed here are also sourced from the following websites:
- Grandma Esther’s Danish Dumplings, by Kelley Paystrup, www.recipetips.com/recipe-cards/u–5928/grandma-esthers-danish-dumplings.asp
- Czech Pernik na Figurky (Gingerbread Cookies), by Barbara Rolek, www.thespruceeats.com/gingerbread-cookies-czech-pernik-na-figurky-1135701
- Oatmeal Thumbprint Cookies with Cassis Jam, by Jessica Fisher, goodcheapeats.com/2010/12/oatmeal-thumbprint-cookies-with-cassis-jam
From Amazon
From Behrman House