Appetizer is served before main courses or separately (as a light meal). It is also often consumed with an aperitif (an alcoholic drink consumed before meals). Snacks are hot and cold. Each nation’s kitchen has its own traditional snacks. In Russian cuisine, sauerkraut, pickled or pickled cucumbers, black or red caviar, salted fish, herring and other snacks from mushrooms, vegetables, fish, meat, fruits, as well as cheese, fish or meat slices are considered the most popular . For Jewish cuisine , snacks such as burekas, pancakes, chopped liver, stuffed fish, herring, whitefish, fried artichokes, pickled zucchini are traditional. A Jewish appetizer can be kosher if it is made from kosher ingredients and in accordance with Jewish dietary laws.
Recipe 1
Forshmak in translation from Yiddish means “to taste”, that is, the snack is intended to set the taste. The main ingredient is herring. There are many varieties of forshmak, probably as many as there were Jewish towns in Eastern Europe. For the town of Khaschevatoye, which is located in Ukraine, in the Kirovograd region, its own Jewish snack is also characteristic. The recipe for its preparation is simple. Essential Ingredients:
- 2 large herring (filet is separated);
- 1 sour apple (peel and core)
- 2-3 pieces of white bread (soaked in milk or water, squeeze the liquid before use);
- 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil;
- 3 eggs (hard boiled, yolks are separated from proteins);
- 1 teaspoon of sugar;
- 1 tablespoon vinegar;
- a little green onion (finely chopped).
In a food processor, fish fillet, egg whites, apples and bread are mixed. Vinegar and oil are added. Mix thoroughly and place the mixture in a dish. Egg yolk is crumbled from above and spread the whole onion. Before serving, cool. This Jewish appetizer is especially well combined with black Russian bread, but also mincemeat can be laid out on diet spelled crackers.
Recipe 2
Another Jewish appetizer that is especially popular in Israel is falafel. At first it was considered an Arabic dish, but later became a national Jewish dish, even a symbol of the country. These are deep-fried balls made from chopped chickpeas called lamb peas or chickpeas. Before frying, chickpeas or beans are soaked and chopped. For 8 servings of falafel prepared according to this recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
- 2 cups dried chickpeas;
- ¼ cups of young branches of cilantro (coriander);
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ground caraway seeds;
- 16 large cloves of garlic;
- 2 tablespoons ground coriander;
- 1 slice of stale unsweetened white bread without crusts;
- 2 ½ tablespoons of tea salt;
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper;
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper;
- 2 tablespoons of flour;
- 1 egg
- about 6 glasses (for frying) vegetable oil.
Chickpeas are poured onto a plate, distributed in one layer and all dirt or stones are removed. Transfer the peas into a bowl of cold water so that the water level is much higher than the grains. Leave overnight or for 12 hours. Drain the water through a colander and rinse. Garlic and sprigs of cilantro are crushed in a blender. The bread is soaked in water and squeezed. Bread and chickpeas are added to the blender, ground. Ground coriander, caraway seeds, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, egg and flour are poured there. All mixed and transferred to a bowl. If the mixture seems too dry, add 1 tablespoon of tablespoon of water. They form balls and deep-fry them (oil should be very hot). After 3 minutes, the balls will turn golden brown and covered with a crispy crust, they are laid out on a paper towel, then in a dish. Jewish appetizer - spicy falafel - ready, can be served with an aperitif.
Recipe 3
It goes well with pancakes Russian appetizer, called herring oil. To prepare it, you need the products:
- 1 herring;
- 100 g butter;
- 2 slices of white bread (without crusts);
- ¼ cup of cream;
- sprig of parsley.
Herring is cleaned, skin is removed and bones are removed. Bread is soaked in cream. Herring, bread and butter are crushed in a blender, the mixture is spread on a sieve and rubbed through it to obtain a homogeneous mass, which is then taken out in the cold. After it hardens, they give it the shape of a herring (it should lie on the abdomen), put the head to the wide part, spreading the gills, and the tail to the narrow part. With a hot knife, smooth the formed mass. A sprig of parsley is placed in the open mouth of the herring and a ready-made snack for pancakes is served.