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Kosher Fusion Gone Wrong

Pigeons, brains, and chocolate-covered locusts at the oldest congregation in the U.S.

by
Jonathan Zalman
May 21, 2015
(YeahThatsKosher)
(YeahThatsKosher)

On May 5, Manhattan’s Congregation Shearith Israel, the oldest congregation in the U.S., which was by founded Jews of Spanish and Portuguese descent in 1654, hosted a special “Halakhic Dinner.” Here’s the invitation to the event, which cost $100 to attend:

Did you know that giraffes are kosher? How about locusts? They are! Rabbi Soloveichik will entertain and enlighten with a special lecture over dinner. We’ll learn about some far out there kosher foods, and we’ll eat a few of them too. Goat, venison, bison and squab are just a few of the expected featured ingredients. Come hungry and adventurous.

The event sold out and over 200 people attended. Here is the menu, as reported by VosIzNeias.com:

— Crispy shallot-topped veal intestines stuffed with veal heart
— Chicken gizzards
— Mixed greens salad topped with an esrog dressing
— Duck liver and kidneys
— Truffle oil-drizzled, poached brains with garbanzo beans, white pickled garlic, and lemon
— Moroccan cigars stuffed with duck foie gras
— Goat tagine with dates, dried plums, cracked Syrian olives and fava beans
— Braised squab with poached fennel mousseline, roasted shallots, braised artichoke hearts and fresh truffles
— Bison sliders with glazed onions
— Israeli cracked olive paste
— Slow-cooked ox tail with green peas and sherry wine mousseline

And for for dessert, a choice of:

— Dulce de leche cake in a chocolate caramel box
— Mexican chipotle chocolate covered locusts.

If you’re adventurous, which many people apparently were, I think it’s fair to say that the meal actually sounds pretty good, if not delicious.

One attendee, Dani Klein, who runs the website YeahThatsKosher.com, noted that congregation’s rabbi, taught the guests “about the Torah origins of each food, its relevance and how it is kosher.”

“It got people interested and excited,” said Klein.

The food also got people sick, including Klein’s wife, who reportedly came down with a case of food poisoning. So did about 20 others who reached out to Klein “complaining of gastrointestinal distress after the dinner.”

Jonathan Zalman is a writer and teacher based in Brooklyn.