Yom Kippur break fasts are notoriously epic — all manner of smoked fishes and delicate pastries are piled high on the best china (or, if you're feeding dozens, paper plates). For many of those gathered around a table heaped with traditional Eastern European delicacies, engaging in the holiday meal is a way to connect with their Jewish roots. Courtesy of Russ & Daughters hide caption
Joan Nathan, the author of 11 cookbooks, has sought out local Jewish food traditions as she's traveled the world. Becky Harlan/NPR hide caption
To make matzo brei, crumble leftover matzo, soak it, drain it and beat it with an egg or two. Then, fry it up, scrambled or omelet-style. Tali Blankfeld/Flickr Editorial/Getty Images hide caption
Idan Cohen's grandmother's famous German layer cake. Idan's mom always said that the Israeli climate did not agree with this cake, but she made it anyway. Courtesy of Jewish Food Society hide caption
Last Friday night, the Berlin bookstore Shakespeare and Sons hosted a Sabbath dinner as part of the pre-kickoff activities for Nosh Berlin, the German capital's first Jewish food festival. Guests at the bookstore included many non-Jewish Germans who purchased tickets. Veronica Zaragovia for NPR hide caption
Boxes of "Surprisingly Delicious Matzo" made by The Matzo Project line the shelves of Glen's Garden Market in Washington, D.C. Kelly Jo Smart/NPR hide caption
Jews commemorate Hanukkah by eating fried foods. For most American Jews, that means latkes — potato pancakes fried in oil. But other cultures toss different foods into pots of boiling oil. Take, for example, these fried and jam-filled doughnuts, called sufganiyot in Hebrew, on display at a bakery in Kadima in central Israel. David Silverman/Getty Images hide caption
Matzo ball soup is a classic recipe straight from Eastern Europe. But not all Jews from the region came to the New World via Ellis Island, as reflected in this jalapeño-inflected family recipe from chef Pati Jinich. Copyright Ellen Silverman hide caption
Herbed gefilte fish is baked in a terrine for a brighter, fresher take on tradition. Lauren Volo/The Gefilte Manifesto hide caption
A Passover Seder table. During Passover, Jews avoid leavened bread. But whether legumes, corn and rice are OK has long been a point of contention among Jews of European and Middle Eastern ancestry. Now, rabbis have weighed in. Reza/Getty Images hide caption
Manischewitz is closely associated with Jewish tradition, but it was once a huge crossover success. Sammy Davis Jr. was its spokesman in TV advertising. At one point, the typical drinker was described as an urban African-American man. Morgan McCloy/NPR hide caption
After his mother-in-law's death, NPR's Marc Silver found her go-to cookbook, filled with her copious annotations to recipes. He used it to piece together her take on mandelbread, a Jewish version of biscotti, and other holiday favorites. Akash Ghai/NPR hide caption
"Honey cake is considered the fruitcake of the kosher kitchen," jokes cookbook author Marcy Goldman. "The same resistance people may have to fruitcake, a lot of people have about honey cake." With her recipe — now the go-to recipe for thousands of families — Goldman modernizes this sweet taste of the past. Deena Prichep for NPR hide caption
A rabbi (center) supervises the production of Passover matzos at the Streit's factory on New York's Lower East Side, circa 1960s. This Passover will be Streit's last one at the landmark location. AP hide caption
Wrapped in gold and silver foil, chocolate gelt are often handed out as a little treat for children (and adults) during Hanukkah. Turns out, the tradition is rooted in real money. iStockphoto hide caption