This is certainly one of most up-to-date and user-friendly English guides to keeping kosher. One fascinating chapter surveys the history of kosher-keeping in America (did you know that Revolutionary-era Jews in Rhode Island "subsist[ed] on chocolate and coffee" for want of kosher meat?). The rest of the book is decidedly practical: Garfunkel (The Kosher Companion
) rehearses the origins of the Jewish dietary laws and reviews the basic rules—e.g., meat products and dairy must be eaten separately, while some foods, like shellfish and pork, are flat-out forbidden. She explains how to decode the symbols that indicate a packaged food is certifiably kosher, and lists many (though by no means all) national products, from Celestial Seasonings tea to Planter's peanut butter, that have obtained kosher certification. Readers are also treated to delicious-sounding recipes, and a lengthy list of kosher eateries all over the country. The glossary is right up front, so readers can easily double- and triple-check the meanings of unfamiliar Hebrew and Yiddish terms. Garfunkel's efforts to make kosher-eating relevant and interesting to a diverse readership are a bit of a stretch, and it is likely that, title notwithstanding, Jews will be the primary audience for this book. But anyone who does delve into it will find a wealth of clear information. (Aug.)
