GEFILTE FISH, CULTURE BEYOND TASTE

GEFILTE FISH, CULTURE BEYOND TASTE

GEFILTE FISH, CULTURE BEYOND TASTE

What is the relationship between “gastronomic disaster” and Jewish affection? Gefilte fish, of course, and considering the fact that I am Jewish with zero tolerance for seafood, this is a dish I always force myself to prepare, cook and for my “misfortune” to eat in several Jewish holidays.

Let’s start from the beginning, why I don’t like it? Well, let me explain it. Gefilte fish is a dish of ground, deboned fish, mixed with eggs, onions, matzah meal, and other seasonings, which is then boiled or poached. The fish is usually a mixture of white fish, carp, pike and/or mullet.

Gefilte means stuffed in Yiddish, which reflects the original preparation of stuffing the ground seasoned fish back into the skin of the fish, and sewing it up (nice, I know). Furthermore, it is typically eaten cold as an appetizer and served at Jewish holidays meals such as Rosh Hashanah and Passover. The dish was traditionally part of a Shabbat menu as it allowed to serve fish to a lot of people in an inexpensive way. Thank God, somewhere, someone decided that was doll the sewing, so now the fish mixture is either shaped into individual patties (yesss), fish balls, or baked as a single loaf.

Part of my inner conflict is that I can’t stand fish in any form, but as a devoted follower of my Jewish culture, I’ve had eaten gefilte fish my entire life (torture) because of the meaning behind it and to respect and keep our culture and traditions.

Among religiously observant Jews, gefilte fish is a traditional Shabbat food to avoid borer, which is one of the activities prohibited on Shabbat. Borer, “selection/ choosing,” would occur when one picks the bones out of the fish, taking “the chaff from within the food.”

Another belief is that fish are not subject to ayin hara “evil eye” because they are submerged while alive and brings you good luck; and last but not least, was thought to have one added perk. According to ancient tradition, fish is an aphrodisiac, thus, its presence on the Shabbat table could also encourage couples to “be fruitful and multiply, which in Jewish tradition is encouraged on Friday night” writes Tamara Mann, on myjewishlearning.com.

But the number one reason gefilte fish is served at Jewish dinner tables these days might be, in the words of Fiddler on the Roof, tradition. The recipe is sacred, held close and carefully passed from generation to generation, and even though I don’t like it, I am very proud to keep my culture and traditions even against my own food preferences. (I will admit it because that’s the way we were raised.)

For more info about Jewish cuisine check:

Myjewishlearning.com

Thejewishuniverse.com