Israel acquires world’s first kosher cookbook

The National Library of Israel has acquired a rare copy of what is believed to be the world’s first kosher cookbook, an 1846 English volume with dairy dishes, beauty tips and recipes often attributed to Lady Judith Montefiore.

Just in time for Shavuot, it offers a glimpse at some of the earliest cheesecakes documented in culinary literature.

The Jewish Manual of Modern Cookery, With a Collection of Valuable Recipes & Hints Relating to the Toilette was published in 1846. It was written in English and published anonymously under the credit “A Lady”.

First discovered in the Jewish Division of the New York Public Library by Ruth L. Gales and Lila T. Gold the book was then published in facsimile form in 1983. The 1846 original is credited to ” A Lady” and it is thanks to the research of Gales and Gold and the detective work of the late Chaim Raphael, civil servant, Oxford don and, under the name of Jocelyn Davey, mystery writer, that “A Lady” was proven to be the former mistress of East Cliff Lodge in Ramsgate: Judith, Lady Montefiore.

In Victorian England, there were very few Jewish women who held the title “Lady” and the recipes match the types of dishes served in the Montefiore household so this is a good indication that Judith Monefiore was indeed the author although this has not been proven.

Together with her husbamd Mooeses Judith Monefiore visited Israel several tines and there are many references to this in the book.

Among the recipes in the book is “Palestine soup,” a rich dish based on veal, chicken, Jerusalem artichokes and spices, alongside numerous dairy dishes that rely heavily on butter plus, of course, cheesecake.

The book also has grooming advice, including recommendations for “cosmetic baths” based on milk, which were common among the upper classes in the East and had become very popular in France and England.

The book also seeks “to guide the young Jewish housekeeper in the luxury and economy of ‘The Table,’ on which so much of the pleasure of social intercourse depends”, as the author writes.

Dr Chaim Neria, curator of the Haim and Hanna Salomon Judaica Collection at the National Library of Israel, says: “Until now, the library had access only to the digital copy of the book from the Montefiore Collection. It was important for us to obtain a physical copy as well, because this is the first Jewish cookbook published in England.

“Its acquisition fits the library’s mission to collect, preserve and make accessible collections of knowledge, heritage and culture of the Jewish people, the State of Israel and the Land of Israel, and the legacy of the Montefiore family is woven into all of these.”

Fifty years later (1897) The Economical Jewish Cook was published in London. A book for schools, this offered practical, budget-friendly recipes tailored for “Modern Orthodox” housekeepers. It includes instructions for koshering, Passover dishes, and cooking for the sick.

Judith Montefiore passed away peacefully in her sleep at home in Ramsgate on 24 September 1862, at the age of 78. Sir Moses Montefiore had a mausoleum built for her just a few paces from the Ramsgate Synagogue, which he had established, where she was laid to rest.