Mercury News | 12/12/2003 | Centuries of wandering enrich Jewish cuisine Page 1 of 2 Contact Us | Site Index | Archives | Place an Ad | Newspaper Subscriptions | News by Email Search Articles-last 7 days for Go Find it Fast Back to Home > Saturday, Dec 13, 2003 • Traffic Reports • Subscrib • Weather • Subscrib • News Coming Tomorrow » Employ • Obituaries • Editorials • Classifieds Posted on Fri, Dec. 12, • Sports 2003 • Post a Jo • Find a Jo • Business • Post a Ré • Entertainment Centuries of wandering enrich Jewish • Lifestyles cuisine » Autom • Newspaper Ads Online By Kim Vo • Find a Ca Mercury News • Sell a Ca • Weekly S The way Jonathan Hirshon sees it, the Jews have been everywhere. News » Real Es And everywhere they went, they ate. • Local News • Find a Ho • San Jose/Valley • Find an A • Central Coast Since the Jewish Diaspora touches every continent, it's likely that in • Moving R • Peninsula addition to matzo balls and rugelah, Jews ate Sevilla-style olives in » Local S • Alameda County • Spain and Mongolian beef in Kaifeng. Somewhere in the Ukraine, they Search C • California & the West • See This • Nation/World may have polished their meal by sipping honey pepper vodka. • Online C • Obituaries • • Education So what better way, Hirshon figured, to teach Jewish history than a Featured • Science & Health dinner series that combines a lecture with a gourmet meal from a • Find a Lo • Weird News • Meet Som • Special Reports particular region. Hirshon, a history buff and gourmet, launched the • Find a Ho • Iraq: The Aftermath Diaspora Dinner series this fall at Temple Emanu-El in San Jose, • Book Air Classifieds where he is a board member. Vacations • Automotive • Real Estate T • Employment ``People may be conceptually interested in Jewish history,'' he said, • Personals ``but they get excited about food.'' » Yellow Opinion • Perspective » Discus To read the complete story, see tomorrow's Family & Religion section. • Columnists » Map an Business » Mercu • Financial Markets Mortga • Technology email this | print this | license this | reprint this • Personal Technology • Personal Finance • People and Events PHOTOS O • Drive Sports • San Francisco 49ers • Oakland Raiders • San Francisco Giants • Oakland Athletics • Golden State Warriors • San Jose Sharks • High school sports • College sports more p http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/promotions/7479252.htm 12/13/2003 Mercury News | 12/13/2003 | Centuries of wandering enrich Jewish cuisine Page 1 of 3 Contact Us | Site Index | Archives | Place an Ad | Newspaper Subscriptions | News by Email Search Articles-last 7 days for Go Find it Fast Back to Home > Saturday, Dec 13, 2003 • Traffic Reports • Subscrib • Weather • Subscrib • News • Obituaries Posted on Sat, Dec. 13, » Employ • Editorials 2003 • Classifieds • Sports Centuries of wandering enrich Jewish • Post a Jo • Find a Jo • Business • Post a Ré • Entertainment cuisine By Kim Vo • Lifestyles Mercury News » Autom • Newspaper Ads Online • Find a Ca The way Jonathan Hirshon sees it, the Jews have been everywhere. • Sell a Ca And everywhere they went, they ate. • Weekly S » Real Es Since the Jewish Diaspora touches every continent, it's likely that in • Find a Ho • Find an A addition to matzo balls and rugelah, Jews ate Sevilla-style olives in • Moving R Spain and Mongolian beef in Kaifeng. Somewhere in the Ukraine, they » Local S may have polished their meal by sipping honey pepper vodka. News • Search C • Local News • See This • San Jose/Valley So what better way, Hirshon figured, to teach Jewish history than a • Online C • Central Coast • dinner series that combines a lecture with a gourmet meal from a • Peninsula Featured particular region. Hirshon, a history buff and gourmet, launched the • Alameda County • Find a Lo • California & the West Diaspora Dinner series this fall at Temple Emanu-El in San Jose, • Meet Som • Nation/World where he is a board member. • Find a Ho • Obituaries • Book Air • Education Vacations • Science & Health ``People may be conceptually interested in Jewish history,'' he said, • Weird News ``but they get excited about food.'' T • Special Reports • Iraq: The Aftermath The temple plans to hold the dinners every other month. The dinners » Yellow Classifieds Discus • Automotive are a moneymaker for the temple, and ticket prices fluctuate » • Real Estate depending on the menu. » Map an • Employment » Mercu • Personals The series began in September with Spain, followed in November by Mortga Opinion • Perspective food and talk about the Caucasus region, which includes Georgia, • Columnists Armenia and Ukraine. January's meal will feature China -- there was a Business Jewish community in Kaifeng on the Silk Road and Jews fleeing Financ Spo • Financial Markets Europe during World War II temporarily stayed in Shanghai. • Technology • Personal Technology PHOTOS O • Personal Finance Future regions include India, west Africa, Italy, central Europe and • People and Events the West Indies. • Drive Sports • San Francisco 49ers ``I'll never run out of material. I can go forever,'' says Hirshon, who • Oakland Raiders earned a bachelor's degree in ancient history from Clark University in • San Francisco Giants Massachusetts. ``You name me a country, I can name you the link.'' http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/7479902.htm 12/13/2003 Mercury News | 12/13/2003 | Centuries of wandering enrich Jewish cuisine Page 2 of 3 • Oakland Athletics Hirshon, a public relations consultant, knows how to impress his • Golden State Warriors audience. He tells them about the ancient -- and largely forgotten -- • San Jose Sharks Jewish empire of Khazaria. And jaws dropped, he said, when he • High school sports more p • College sports explained the theory that Christopher Columbus was a ``crypto'' or • Soccer hidden Jew. He argues Columbus, who had his crew board the same • Golf day Jews were being expelled from Spain, was himself Jewish but hid • Motorsports his identity. • Other sports • Outdoors Entertainment But it's the food that makes the biggest impression. • Books • Celebrities ``It was fantastic. Very authentic,'' says Marsha Felton, who attended • Comics and Games • Dining the November meal and left with a recipe for katmis mkhali, Georgian • Events chicken salad. • Eye Our local • Horoscopes Rebecca Bronstein, 17, agrees. She plans to return in January to learn answer y • Movies about China; she's also intrigued by what Hirshon will cook. ``All on these • Music • Nightlife you're offered in Chinese food is noodles and chicken,'' says » Floorin • Performing Arts Bronstein, a temple member, ``but I know Jonathan's really • TV creative.'' » Plastic • Visitors Guide • Visual Arts Lifestyles While Hirshon tries to keep all the dishes authentic, some are altered » Real Es • Family & Religion because of hard-to-find seasonings or in deference to the temple's • Food & Wine kosher kitchen. For instance, there was no shellfish in the paella, and » Detail • Home & Garden of all ex the dish was studded with chicken, not pork sausage. • Style • Travel Jews may have eaten these dishes, but it's not really Jewish food, Newspaper Services says Ginny Hoffman, a volunteer cook for the dinners who considers • Subscribe Jewish food ``what my grandmother cooked.'' • Subscriber Services • • Place an Ad As she puts it: ``There's nothing Jewish about paella.'' • Community Relations • Newspapers in Education Not that it matters, she says. She loves to cook, and the dinners allow • Work at the Mercury her to help feed scores of people. News ``I enjoy new foods and new culinary experiences,'' she says. ``And TODAY'S FRONT PAGE if you learn something in the process about culture or whatever, all the better.'' » Click here to view it. Win movie passes Win tickets to an advance screening of "Cheaper by For information on the next Diaspora Dinner, at 6 p.m. Jan. 25, send an e-mail the Dozen" (Dec. 20) or to [email protected] with the subject line ``Diaspora Dinner.'' "The Butterfly Effect" (Jan. 20) in San Jose. Click here to Contact Kim Vo at [email protected] or (408) 271-3635. win Sharks Family Pack email this | print this | license this | reprint this Save $31 on four hot dogs, four sodas and four tickets to the Sharks vs. L.A. Kings game on RELATED LINKS Friday, Dec. 26 at 7:30 http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/7479902.htm 12/13/2003 Mercury News | 12/13/2003 | Georgian chicken salad Page 1 of 3 Contact Us | Site Index | Archives | Place an Ad | Newspaper Subscriptions | News by Email Search Articles-last 7 days for Go Find it Fast Back to Home > Saturday, Dec 13, 2003 • Traffic Reports • Subscrib • Weather • Subscrib • News • Obituaries Posted on Sat, Dec. 13, » Employ • Editorials 2003 • Classifieds • Sports Georgian chicken salad • Post a Jo • Find a Jo • Business • Post a Ré • Entertainment • Lifestyles Serves 8-10 » Autom • Newspaper Ads Online • Find a Ca 1 5- to 6-pound roasting chicken • Sell a Ca 3/4 pound of shelled walnuts • Weekly S 2 tablespoons of ground coriander seed » Real Es 2 teaspoons of crushed elderberry flowers • Find a Ho 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed • Find an A 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt, or to taste • Moving R 5 tablespoons of red wine vinegar » Local S 1 1/2 to 2 cups of chicken broth • Search C News 4 scallions, including the green portion, minced • See This • Local News • Online C • San Jose/Valley 1 cup of minced fresh cilantro • • Central Coast 1/2 cup of minced fresh dill Featured • Peninsula 1/2 cup of minced celery leaves • Find a Lo • Alameda County 1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds • Meet Som • California & the West • Find a Ho • Nation/World • Book Air • Obituaries Place the chicken in a large pot with 1 quart of water and bring to a Vacations • Education boil. Simmer, covered, until tender, about 2 hours. Allow the chicken • Science & Health T • Weird News to cool in the broth.