I had the pleasure of interacting with Riley while facilitating a session for the University of San Francisco’s Anthropology of Food program. The greatest thing about digging up old handwritten recipes is that they’re more than just cooking instructions; they’re a snapshot in time that can continue to connect us to our ancestors; decades (and in this case centuries) later. Her story talks about Jewish Christmas Cookies, popularly known as Linzer Tarts.  

My maternal family immigrated from Eastern Europe between the 1860s and 1920s. With them came their traditional Jewish holiday dishes – the same ones we eat today to celebrate Jewish holidays. Papa Reinfeld, my great great grandfather, came to the United States at 15 years old in 1919, settling in a Brooklyn ghetto. When asked where he was from, Reinfeld would respond something along the lines of, “depends on the year.” Up until about 100 years ago the Polish borders were constantly fluctuating due to wavering control between Russia and Ukraine. Incredibly, on arriving in Newark Reinfeld met a woman from the same quaint Polish town of Lubachow as him – my great great grandmother Evelyn.

Looking Back

Ironically, one of the most beloved family recipes is not one of Jewish origin. In fact, we have always regarded them as “Christmas cookies.” The infamous Lindsay Tart is a walnut flower sugar cookie with a raspberry jam center. We made them only once a year during the holidays. Nana Evelyn’s non-Jewish Austrian and Hungarian ‘help’ taught her the recipe. As Grammy put it, “Jewish desserts are pretty awful,” so they looked elsewhere for their sugar fix. Conveniently, my great grandfather (my grammy’s father) was born on Christmas Day, giving a good reason to make those cookies.

“That was all Nana gave me,” Grammy said when I ask her for the full recipe. She was only told ingredients (scribbled on the index card above). The very loose recipe led to years of trial and error; and deep frustration annually around the holidays when generations tackled the next attempt at cookie-making. My mom remembers the hollers and tears of joy when Grammy successfully perfected the authentic tastes of her childhood. The recipe she uncovered is committed to memory. “It is easier to say it,” Grammy said.

Looking Ahead

Grammy had the privilege a few years back of traveling to Lubachow, Poland to see where her family came from. Preserved cottage homes made from mud walls and wooden posts from the time her family lived there struck her. The traditional Jewish recipes that my family from Europe brought over are a time capsule of a way of life that they have in many ways left behind. Even still, we anticipate the ‘Christmas cookies’ all year long.

Written by Riley Rich and edited by  Jashan Sippy.

‘Food, the Feeling of Home’: A series of stories exploring nostalgia, the power of food, our memories and stories of ‘home’. Want to share your story? Send it to us at info@sugarandspace.in