Fried Cauliflower Frittata
Rhubarb Blintzes
Green Pea Schnitzel topped with a fried egg
Beefsteak from Fresh Mushrooms

These sound like dishes you might find from a contemporary chef using the farmers markets to re-tool heavy Eastern European dishes.  But no, they were published in 1938 by teacher and restaurant owner Fania Lewando in The Vilna Vegetarian Cookbook, a volume so ahead of its time that it can take your breath away.  The title of the book in the original Yiddish is Vegetarish-dietisher kokhbukh, 400 shpayzn gemakht oysshislekh fun grinsn  or Vegetarian-Dietetic Cookbook: 400 Meals Made Exclusively from Vegetables.

Barbara Mazur and Wendy Waxman, two Yiddish speakers who were visiting The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in NYC saw the rare book on display and immediately understood it’s impact.  They worked with YIVO and the talented translator Eve Jochnowitz to bring the book back to life for 21st century cooks.  (An aside here, Ms. Jochnowitz  and her co-host  Rukhl Schaechter have a Yiddish cooking show).

Browsing through the book’s  pages, it’s obvious that Fania was special talent.  As a restauranteur she fed the who’s who of the Jewish community of old Vilnius (including Marc Chagall) at her kosher dairy restaurant in pre WWII Poland.   She was clearly on a mission to share her love of vegetable based cooking with her community.  Fania taught classes at a school she created close by the restaurant, and exhorted any who would listen that meatless meals were a joyous embrace of the natural world, not a punishment. The Jewish eating tradition of the time was so wedded to meat, especially for the holidays that it’s lack was considered a type of mourning.

One can only imagine what an enticement the richness and luxury of the vegetable illustrations must have been. Sadly the artist is unknown.  Look for an upcoming blog post for a recipe from the book.