Dr. Hélène Jawhara Piñer- Purim & the Customs of Sephardic Jews: Between Traditions and Culinary Evolutions (15th Century to the Present) | *PRE-ORDER SIGNED COOKBOOK*
Join us for a Shabbat Lunch Lecture with Dr. Hélène Jawhara Piñer • March 8, 2025
Purim, celebrated each year on the 14th of Adar, commemorates the deliverance of the Jews of Persia as recounted in the Book of Esther. Beyond its religious and festive significance, this holiday reflects rich cultural and culinary practices that have continuously evolved over the centuries and across the various regions where Sephardic communities settled.
However, studying Sephardic culinary traditions related to Purim presents a major challenge: no direct primary sources, such as cookbooks or explicit writings, provide details of practices from the 15th and 16th centuries. Instead, it is through diverse and fragmentary sources—judicial records, personal correspondence, poems, and inventories—that a coherent picture of dietary customs emerges.
From hojuelas (crispy rolled fried pastries) and orejas de Haman (Haman’s ears) to playful deceptions, spanning the Mediterranean basin to the New World, Dr. Jawhara Piñer will explore the balance between tradition and adaptation that is reflected today in the culinary practices of Sephardic communities in the diaspora.
-
Dr. Hélène Jawhara Piñer
PhD in Medieval History, History of Food
University of Tours
PRE-ORDER A SIGNED COPY OF DR. HÉLÈNE JAWHARA PIÑER’S NEW COOKBOOK, MATZAH AND FLOUR, TO PICK UP AFTER HER TALK! 50% OFF!
1. Select option to register / pre-order and add to cart
2. then check out by clicking on the “Shopping bag” icon (top right of the screen)
Join us for a Shabbat Lunch Lecture with Dr. Hélène Jawhara Piñer • March 8, 2025
Purim, celebrated each year on the 14th of Adar, commemorates the deliverance of the Jews of Persia as recounted in the Book of Esther. Beyond its religious and festive significance, this holiday reflects rich cultural and culinary practices that have continuously evolved over the centuries and across the various regions where Sephardic communities settled.
However, studying Sephardic culinary traditions related to Purim presents a major challenge: no direct primary sources, such as cookbooks or explicit writings, provide details of practices from the 15th and 16th centuries. Instead, it is through diverse and fragmentary sources—judicial records, personal correspondence, poems, and inventories—that a coherent picture of dietary customs emerges.
From hojuelas (crispy rolled fried pastries) and orejas de Haman (Haman’s ears) to playful deceptions, spanning the Mediterranean basin to the New World, Dr. Jawhara Piñer will explore the balance between tradition and adaptation that is reflected today in the culinary practices of Sephardic communities in the diaspora.
-
Dr. Hélène Jawhara Piñer
PhD in Medieval History, History of Food
University of Tours
PRE-ORDER A SIGNED COPY OF DR. HÉLÈNE JAWHARA PIÑER’S NEW COOKBOOK, MATZAH AND FLOUR, TO PICK UP AFTER HER TALK! 50% OFF!
1. Select option to register / pre-order and add to cart
2. then check out by clicking on the “Shopping bag” icon (top right of the screen)
Join us for a Shabbat Lunch Lecture with Dr. Hélène Jawhara Piñer • March 8, 2025
Purim, celebrated each year on the 14th of Adar, commemorates the deliverance of the Jews of Persia as recounted in the Book of Esther. Beyond its religious and festive significance, this holiday reflects rich cultural and culinary practices that have continuously evolved over the centuries and across the various regions where Sephardic communities settled.
However, studying Sephardic culinary traditions related to Purim presents a major challenge: no direct primary sources, such as cookbooks or explicit writings, provide details of practices from the 15th and 16th centuries. Instead, it is through diverse and fragmentary sources—judicial records, personal correspondence, poems, and inventories—that a coherent picture of dietary customs emerges.
From hojuelas (crispy rolled fried pastries) and orejas de Haman (Haman’s ears) to playful deceptions, spanning the Mediterranean basin to the New World, Dr. Jawhara Piñer will explore the balance between tradition and adaptation that is reflected today in the culinary practices of Sephardic communities in the diaspora.
-
Dr. Hélène Jawhara Piñer
PhD in Medieval History, History of Food
University of Tours