One of the keys to Jewish culinary history is that the Jewish role was not so much innovation but transition and transformation. – Gil Marks
I don’t understand a mentality that will accept eating something that doesn’t taste good just because it’s low-fat or is made with matzo or whatever. – Gil Marks
Every year, my father comes by and samples the chremslach – like quality control – and tells me how they taste just like his mother’s. – Gil Marks
Food is sort of like the Jewish sense of humor, a defense mechanism. It is one of the things that helped the Jews survive through 2,000 years of an often very harsh Diaspora. – Gil Marks
Judaism is not just a religion but a people, and the food and customs of one part of the people is connected to the other part of the people. They are part of a larger story. – Gil Marks
The knish is a classic example of peasant food evolving into comfort food and even sophisticated fare. – Gil Marks
A Jewish food is one that is almost sanctified, either by its repeated use or use within the holidays or rituals. So food that may have not been Jewish at one point can become Jewish within the cultural context. – Gil Marks
The kosher community tends to follow often several years behind the general societal trends. – Gil Marks
The more things you make from scratch, the less expensive and usually healthier and tastier. – Gil Marks
Each Passover, I prepare all sorts of fancy desserts for my family and friends, often experimenting with adaptations of sophisticated modern fare. – Gil Marks
Most of the traditional foods we eat on Jewish holidays start out with a seasonal reason as to why we eat them, and later a religious significance is tacked on. – Gil Marks
Although I generally avoid the cloyingly sweet wines, I have used them for poaching fruit. – Gil Marks
Throughout history, particularly in the last 2,000 years, Jews have been key in adapting local foods to Jewish sensibilities and dietary laws and then spreading them. – Gil Marks
I have been collecting recipes and information for over 20 years, but three years ago, my editor said to me, ‘You’re a walking encyclopedia of food, so why don’t you do an encyclopedia?’ – Gil Marks
People remember the different variations of stuffed cabbage based on their mothers and grandmothers. It’s not just about food. Eating something as traditional as this is a cultural experience, one that is spiritual and nostalgic. It manages to transcend time; it’s food for the soul. – Gil Marks
Throughout history, Hanukkah was a relatively minor festival, but it’s become very popular in America due to its proximity to Christmas. – Gil Marks
I tend to avoid cakes made with matzo meal instead of flour. Also, most prepared dessert products and mixes. Sometimes the packaging they come in tastes better than the product. – Gil Marks
Preparing foods from other Jewish communities is broadening. It’s interesting to sample the foods of other Jewish communities and see what they developed. – Gil Marks
In the New York metropolitan area, you can find Jews from just about every Jewish cultural community in the world. – Gil Marks
