From The Hartman Institute

Kreplach and Collard Greens

Yehuda Kurtzer talks with African-American Jewish writer and culinary historian Michael Twitty about his new book 'Koshersoul' and its connection to belonging, identity, and food.

Michael W. Twitty prepares matzah balls with ginger and cayenne pepper for Passover, April 2022. (Johnny Shryock)

We are what we eat—or, at least, what we eat can serve as a window into who we are, reflecting the places and practices that have shaped us. Food can even be a kind of text: a kitchen table tells a story, contains layers of hidden meanings, and opens fresh possibilities for new ways of thinking, living and relating to one another.

In this episode, host Yehuda Kurtzer is joined by African-American Jewish writer and culinary historian Michael Twitty for a conversation about his new book “Koshersoul” and its connection to belonging, identity, and food. They discuss the rootedness and transience that have shaped both Black and Jewish diasporic culture, the ways in which overlapping and intersecting identities can challenge and sharpen our understandings of ourselves, and how Black and Jewish experiences might shed light on the meaning of America. And, of course, they swap recipes. Listen here:

Identity/Crisis is a weekly podcast from the Shalom Hartman Institute about news and ideas.

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