Orthodox Israeli chef says kosher can be gourmet
| Jerusalem
鈥� A local, slice-of-life story from a Monitor correspondent.
Miri Zorger spent a year studying at the Israeli Institute of Culinary Arts, but she didn鈥檛 taste a thing. Ms. Zorger, who is ultra-Orthodox, only eats food approved by Jewish dietary law. So she would re-create a kosher version of every lesson鈥檚 dish at home.
鈥淚 developed a strong sense of smell,鈥� Zorger says. Now she is a leader in a culinary awakening among Israel鈥檚 most religiously conservative Jews. In a kitchen fitted with a huge stainless-steel freezer, Zorger prepares her signature tiny chocolates flecked with gold and festooned with coffee beans. For three years Zorger has hosted a weekly radio cooking show. She is culinary adviser to a women鈥檚 gourmet kosher food exposition. Zorger hopes to open a restaurant, and in September, she released her first cookbook.
鈥淲hen I make food, I look for the artistic perspective,鈥� she says. 鈥淭o me it鈥檚 important to show kosher food can be gourmet.鈥�
Israelis have seen a blossoming of their local cheese and bread industries. But few of the offerings were kosher, so the ultra-Orthodox clung to tradition. This is changing as rabbis approve such ingredients as chili strings and kosher gelatin.
