RLST062 CM - Eat, Drink, and Be Jewish

“Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are” (Anthelme Brillat-Savarin). Accordingly, the study of dietary practices can tell us a lot about a people. In this class we will study Jewish food customs from antiquity to the present and the ways in which food has played an integral role in shaping Jewish society and expressing Jewish identity. We will engage with a variety of topics, including the laws of kashrut (kosher law), ritual meals such as the Passover Seder, Jews as producers and purveyors of food commodities such as liquor and coffee, links between Jewish food practices and local cultures, the relation between food and gender, the role of agriculture in Zionism, what makes for Israeli cuisine, and ethical issues involved with food production and consumption.

Offered: Every year

Credit: 1

Course Number: RLST062 CM