The surprising landscape of Indian Jewish food

BBC ^ | 25 April 2022 | Anita Rao Kashi

[Cronos]

Separated by geography and language, there's not much that might seem to connect India's five dwindling Jewish communities – except praying in Hebrew, and food.

...Kolkata is home to the Baghdadi Jews, who were once abundant enough to warrant five synagogues; now there aren't enough for a minyan (minimum [10] male Jews required for liturgical purposes). Magen David and the smaller Beth El Synagogue were both classified as protected monuments and renovated by the Archaeological Survey of India in 2017.

...The story of disappearing Jewish populations finds echoes elsewhere in India. Jews are believed to have first arrived in India about 2,000 years ago, according to David. Since then, until two centuries ago, waves of Jewish immigrants continued to come here from various parts of the world, fleeing persecution and looking for better livelihoods. Once they landed, they settled in disparate corners of the country.

The largest group, the Bene Israel Jewish community, is spread over Mumbai and Pune in Maharashtra and parts of Gujarat; while Malabar or Cochin Jews can be found in in Kerala. Baghdadi Jews settled in Kolkata; Bene Ephraim Jews near Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh; and Bnei Menashe Jews in Manipur and Mizoram. By 1940, an estimated 50,000 Jews called India home. But widespread immigration to Israel in the 1950s slowly whittled away the numbers and it is estimated that fewer than 5,000 remain.

they amalgamated into local communities and adapted the local language and culinary influences. So much so that each community is now distinct. No two speak the same language and much of their food varies widely

They have adopted cultural aspects from the local communities, such as mehendi (henna designs traditionally drawn on the bride's – and other women's – hands and legs during a Hindu wedding) and the wearing of saris and bangles.

[Cronos]

India has Jews in Cochin, in Kerala, who came during Babylonian exile times.

St. Thomas went to preach to those communities, setting up the Marthomite church in south India

[Army Air Corps]

Ping.

[texas booster]

Good post and article.

Thank you!

[Angelino97]

Jewish populations finds echoes elsewhere in India. Jews are believed to have first arrived in India about 2,000 years ago, according to David.

According to King David?

Didn't he live 3,000 years ago?

In which case, he couldn't very well have said that Jews arrived in India a thousand years after he died. Unless he was prophecying about it, which I don't recall him doing.

[mylife]

my sil is Indian and her curry sucks, god, everything tastes the same!!

Chinese golden curry is nice on shrimp and noodle’s

[mylife]

her mo mos are good

[Dr. Sivana]

According to King David?

Different David. From the article.

The story of disappearing Jewish populations finds echoes elsewhere in India. Esther David's recent book, Bene Appetit: The Cuisine of Indian Jews, is an attempt to preserve the culinary traditions of these diminishing communities.

[Cronos]

According to Esther David, the author of the book

[KarlInOhio]

Ooooh, India Indians. I just watched Blazing Saddles and was thinking of Mel Brooks as the American Indian chief speaking Yiddish.

[Cronos]

That is a great anti racism movie. Actually a great movie overall

[Adder]

Matzoh balls in curried yogurt sauce just can’t be good...

[Joe 6-pack]

The Hekawi tribe were mostly Jewish. The Fugawi tribe were killed off by TV censors.

[Angelino97]

The Hekawi tribe were mostly Jewish.

Great and memorable characters. But it can never be done today, white actors donning redface makeup.

[SunkenCiv]

The largest group, the Bene Israel Jewish community, is spread over Mumbai and Pune in Maharashtra and parts of Gujarat; while Malabar or Cochin Jews can be found in in Kerala. Baghdadi Jews settled in Kolkata; Bene Ephraim Jews near Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh; and Bnei Menashe Jews in Manipur and Mizoram. By 1940, an estimated 50,000 Jews called India home. But widespread immigration to Israel in the 1950s slowly whittled away the numbers and it is estimated that fewer than 5,000 remain.

Thanks Cronos.

[set the time index for the segment about the Baghdadi Jews in India] The mystery of the lost tribes of Israel reverberates through three millennia of human experience. Of the twelve tribes mentioned in the Bible, only those of Judah and Benjamin survived the Assyrian capture of Israel. This is the story of the search for those remaining few.

Israel's Lost Tribes | Full Documentary | September 14, 2019 | TRACKS

[Eleutheria5]

A lot of the Bnei Menashe have settled around Kiryat Arba. They used to be my neighbors when I lived there. Their features are distinctly Asiatic/Oriental. The men have a serious weakness for liquor and consequent liver problems.

[SunkenCiv]

Theirs is an interesting story.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bnei_Menashe#DNA_testing_results