The 100 Most Jewish Foods edited by Alana Newhouse **** (of 4)

Admittedly, any book with an image of black and white cookies on its cover is going to grab my interest. This book about Jewish foods traditional to Ashkenazim of Eastern Europe, early 20th century immigrants to New York City, North African Sephardim, and foods the editor suggests should be traditional are included. Each item receives about a page of description and 60 of the 100 are accompanied by recipes.

As both the subtitle and introduction make clear, the 100 Most Jewish Foods is highly debatable. Chicken soup, matzoh balls, tsimmes, bagels are all obvious, but every reader can only imagine how many impassioned discussions took place before Entenmann's made the book, but Fruit Cocktail did not. Pickles, lox, brisket, tuna fish, and margarine made the cut, but not Cool Whip or Cel-Ray. And Oy, the arguments that must have ensued over recipes? How many different recipes for chicken soup do you think could be gathered from a roomful of Jewish mothers? Which one to include in the book?

Seltzer is included, though the first description of seltzer is that only two kinds of people in the world like seltzer: Jews and Clowns and therein lies the joy of 100 Jewish Foods. Alana Newhouse, editor in chief of Tablet Magazine, gathered more than two dozen chefs, food writers, machers, and personalities -- everyone from Jerusalem author, Yotam Ottolenghi to sex advice guru, Dr. Ruth -- to research and write their short entries. Every essay is funny and contentious. A lot like the Jews.