David M. Gitlitz (1942–2020)

A cookbook derived from Inquisition transcripts, mostly Spanish, plus some Brazilian, Mexican, and Portuguese. A few recipes had enough in the transcript to be pretty full, but most are extrapolated out to similar recipes from the times and regions. While Jewish derivative, these are from conversos, so some Christian ingredients had been assimilated, two with pork, a swordfish, some mixing of milk and meat.
Each recipe has a snippet from the transcript, then a page about the accused and the show more context of the time and town. Usually there's a comment about the sentences, ranging from a few executions by fire, but mostly requirements to go to Mass and Catholic classes. Many were released for insufficient evidence.
But for matza, the foods of the recipes were not the focus of the Inquisition. Instead, the trials were about when the recipes were prepared, usually Friday night Sabbath stews, and when consumed, meat and cheese during Lent.
This is a well-researched academic book, with some annoying anachronisms adjusting to the modern American kitchen, including a reduction of salt and spices, canned chickpeas and frozen onions and orange juice concentrate. show less

These recipes are derived from the interrogations conducted by the Spanish Inquisition in its efforts to root out Jews a who had not truly converted to Christianity. The main evidence was the preparation of meals on Friday afternoon for cold consumption on the Sabbath. This does provide us with cooking customs of this culture in Spain while hearing the voice of people desperate to have someone other than themselves tortured..

This was a sad but excellent and well researched book on Converso food and Inquisition use of culture to find and prosecute crypto-Jews.

I was excited when I first heard about this book, but when I got a copy, i was disappointed.

First what is good: the recipes produce tasty dishes.

But they are not the recipes of Spain's Jews, secret or public. They were invented by the authors with a minimum of supporting evidence, or, much of the time, none at all. They are based for the most part on the testimony of people who turned in Conversos for being "secrect Jews". The mere mention of, oh, say, chick peas and honey, has led the show more authors to invent a recipe that includes these ingredients.

If you are truly interested in the history the food eaten by Spain's Jews, you will learn only a very limited amount from this book. If you want some nice Spainish-style recipes actually eaten by Jews, you'll probably do better skipping the sad tales of betrayal and torture and buying a modern Sephardic cookbook. show less