Journal Article

Iconic Hasidic Food

Tworek, Wojciech

2025

Overview

This essay delves into the historical custom observed by Chabad Hasidim, wherein they partake in buckwheat kasha during the festival of 19 Kislev. This tradition made its initial appearance in Chabad sources during the 1930s and, subsequent to its formalization in Chabad books of customs, has experienced a resurgence in recent years. The story of kasha, however, extends beyond the food consumed during Hasidic celebrations. As a case study, it unveils the shaping of contemporary Hasidic customs and practices, providing an egalitarian, grassroots perspective on the recent history of Hasidism as a lived religion. Utilizing Hasidic sermons, narratives, and personal documents, this essay traces the origins of the “black kasha” custom and endeavors to reintegrate its historical context within the broader framework of Jewish culinary history. It examines the factors contributing to its emergence in Chabad sources during the interwar period (1918–39) and in contemporary times. The argument posits that “black kasha” serves as a prime example of Hasidic religious expression through nostalgic engagement with food. In doing so, this essay highlights this constructed ceremonial and iconic dish as a symbol of the evolving nature of Hasidic communities and their assimilation into broader cultural currents within society. Ultimately, this exploration of Hasidic food practices provides an egalitarian perspective on Hasidism as lived in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, departing from the prevalent approach of narrating Hasidic history solely through the prism of its elite members and their doctrines.

• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
• Subject: Community / Food / Hasidism / Jewish people / Religion