Review of "The Mensch Chef: Or Why Delicious Jewish Food Isn't an Oxymoron" by Mitchell Davis

For a person who was fotunate enough to get introduced to the special taste of Matzoh crackers during a long-ago Jewish Passover, this book held no surprises. Matzoh Ball Soup is just a start toward learning about some delicious food that you might not have run into before. To begin with, the author is funny as he introduces us to the pleasure of Jewish cooking. The chapter titles are amusing ("Put the sauce on the side and bring me a napkin.") Here is your opportunity to make the very best homemade sauerkraut or pickled beets. Of course, "Cabbage Borscht" which is a delight made with short ribs and other goodies.

Davis' anectdotes are right out of the Borscht Belt and he also includes sidebars about Jewish food and, of course, guilt. This is an unusual cookbook that makes it fun to learn how to make some great dishes from another culture.