The arc in the food history of each of the five communities is a factor in the story. In Kolkata, the change in cuisine may have occurred shortly after the Iraqi Jewish immigrants arrived and discovered Indian spices. Author Sonal Ved, in her book Whose Samosa Is It Anyway? The story of where “Indian” food really came from says that when they first arrived in the 19th century, they probably only knew such ingredients as chili and garlic. When they discovered the rest, it gave birth to “a whole new hybrid Jewish cuisine that includes preparations like arook (meaning “veined” in Hebrew and Arabic), rice balls flavored with garam masala; pantras, beef-stuffed pancakes sprinkled with turmeric, ginger, and garam masala; Hanse Mukhmura, a duck-based dish in which the meat is cooked with almonds, raisins, bay leaf, tamarind paste, and ginger root; and Aloo-m-kalla murgi, chicken pot roast with potatoes.”
At the other end of the country, Mattancherry is a tiny town south of Kochi on the Kerala coast that is home to Jew Town, a mishmash of a few streets lined with shops selling antiques, spices, knick-knacks and local crafts, interspersed with cafes and restaurants. At the end of Synagogue Lane is the 17th-century Paradesi (Foreign) Synagogue, built with sloping tiled roofs, blue and white willow-patterned tiles, Belgian chandeliers, Jewish symbols and four Torah scrolls.
Outside, the humid coastal air carries the aromas of spices, something Kerala has always had in abundance. As a trading community, the Malabar Jews saw an opportunity and eventually controlled the local spice trade. Not surprisingly, Malabari Jewish cuisine today is scented with spices and tempered with coconut milk (an essential part of traditional Kerala cuisine), which aligns well with Jewish dietary laws. Here you will find Malabar Jews eating savory fish, chicken and vegetable curries, as well as sambhar (lentil and vegetable sauce) eaten with rice. There’s also appam (rice hoppers), meen pollichathu (green fish curry), Jewish fish kofta curry, chicken in coconut curry; and puddings and payasam (a type of porridge) made from coconut milk. An unusual dish is pastel, similar to an empanada, filled with chopped chicken.
In the West Indies, home of the Bene Israel Jews, local influences are unmistakable. Poha (whipped rice) is a well-known Maharashtrian staple used to prepare breakfast and snacks, but also finds a strong presence in local Jewish cuisine. Washed and mixed with grated coconut, an array of dried fruit and nuts, and chopped seasonal fruit, the poha is an essential part of the malida (a local Jewish harvest thanksgiving ceremony). But there are also unusual dishes like Chik-Cha-Halwa, a Bene signature Israeli sweet made with wheat extract and coconut milk.