Gil Marks

“The key to Judaism's survival is the emotional attachment to the religion.”

“Sephardic Jews were always known as good cooks.”

“Judaism is not just a religion but a people, and the food and customs of one part of the people is connected to the other part of the people. They are part of a larger story.”

“Judaism is not, per se, a religion in the sense most Americans think of. Even if you don't adhere to the various precepts, you're still a Jew.”

“I have been collecting recipes and information for over 20 years, but three years ago, my editor said to me, 'You're a walking encyclopedia of food, so why don't you do an encyclopedia?'”

“The processing and preparation of food can transform a kosher item into a non-kosher item.”

“Preparing foods from other Jewish communities is broadening. It's interesting to sample the foods of other Jewish communities and see what they developed.”

“Although I generally avoid the cloyingly sweet wines, I have used them for poaching fruit.”

“A Jewish food is one that is almost sanctified, either by its repeated use or use within the holidays or rituals. So food that may have not been Jewish at one point can become Jewish within the cultural context.”

“In Judaism, almost every ritual entails either food or the absence of food. Yom Kippur, for instance, is the absence of food. Part of it is Talmudic, part of it is custom. So much of Judaism was bound up in dietary laws. So everything you ate - the very act itself - was part of religion.”

“Every year, my father comes by and samples the chremslach - like quality control - and tells me how they taste just like his mother's.”

“My family is notorious for its sweet tooth.”

“The kosher community tends to follow often several years behind the general societal trends.”

“To me, that aspect of life that most touches the everyday and celebrations is food.”

“I tend to avoid cakes made with matzo meal instead of flour. Also, most prepared dessert products and mixes. Sometimes the packaging they come in tastes better than the product.”

“Passover is the most widely observed of all the Jewish holidays, and the Passover Seder... is the most practiced of all the Jewish rituals.”

“Most of the traditional foods we eat on Jewish holidays start out with a seasonal reason as to why we eat them, and later a religious significance is tacked on.”

“Throughout history, particularly in the last 2,000 years, Jews have been key in adapting local foods to Jewish sensibilities and dietary laws and then spreading them.”

“In the New York metropolitan area, you can find Jews from just about every Jewish cultural community in the world.”

“I don't understand a mentality that will accept eating something that doesn't taste good just because it's low-fat or is made with matzo or whatever.”