Silvia Nacamulli’s new cookbook, Jewish Flavours of Italy, draws its readers into the fascinating history of Italian Jews and their food and Nacamulli’s own family table. Nacamulli tells the history of her Italian family and the dishes that hold meaning to her. She also incorporates recipes that represent the wider Italian Jewish community, including their influences from Jews who immigrated from other places, like Libya or the Levant. But she emphasizes that every single story and recipe has a reason for being in her book.
You can feel the purpose and passion in how Nacamulli writes about her family’s food as she says, “Cooking and passing on memories, to me, is one of the most important and effective ways to preserve a culture.”
Her book includes recognizable Italian favorites, like her fresh and delicious pesto.
Pesto all Genovese - Fresh Basil Pesto
However, she goes beyond that to teach her readers how Italian Jewish cuisine distinguishes itself from the rest of Italy due to kosher laws and various other influences.
For example, carbonara is a well-known classic Italian dish typically made with pork, not to mention mixing cheese and meat. We learn that long before meat and dairy substitutes existed, the Jews of Italy had to get creative and adapt the more traditional Italian recipes to fit in with the laws of kashrut that they followed. So, the typical pork carbonara became the delightful Carbonara di Zucchine, also known as courgette carbonara. It's a tasty vegetarian take on the classic that substitutes zucchini for pork.
Carbonara di Zucchine - Courgette Carbonara
Nacamulli also introduces us to recipes like Ruota di Farrone, also known as “Pharoah’s Wheel,” which, like other recipes from the region, blends elements from Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Italian cuisine. It was traditionally served when the parsha for the Jews’ Exodus from Egypt was told, but I’d be happy to make this any time of year as an excellent meaty pasta dish! I also love the idea of a dish that blends several Jewish backgrounds but still is distinctively Jewish with what it represents.
Ruota di Farrone - Pharaoh’s Wheel Pasta Dinner
One of my favorite things about Nacamulli’s book is how much I learned, not just about cooking and food but about the history and culture of Italian Jews in general. She reminds us that the Jews of Italy are one of the oldest communities of Diaspora Jews and about all the influences that have contributed to their culture. For all lovers of history and those who particularly want to learn more about a Jewish community they may be unfamiliar with, this book provides the perfect introduction to the subject.
But Nacamulli doesn’t just give you a general history, she also gives you her personal family history. Ranging from telling the stories of how her family fared in Italy during World War II to stories of what was served at her family’s Shabbat and holiday meals growing up, it’s clear that Nacamulli and her family are woven into the very fabric of Italian Jewry.
One of the only drawbacks of this is that, at times, it can feel almost overwhelming to bounce between her personal family recipes and their stories and then go to something less personal. However, the love and care put into each recipe is still felt, making us feel honored that we’ve been invited to her table.
Ultimately, this is a cookbook that really feels much more than just a book of recipes. It serves as a testimony to Nacamulli’s family story, and as general Italian Jewish history. There’s no shortage of unique recipes to try, along with familiar favorites that are impossible to resist. And, of course, we can all recognize that beautiful and important feeling of taking a bite of food that connects us to something bigger, be it family, community, or history, which is really at the core here.
Wow. This sounds amazing!