Matzah, challah, kugel, blintzes and falafel aren’t exactly what the typical college student eats for lunch, but this weekend UA students and the Tuscaloosa community will have the chance to try these and other foods at the second annual Tuscaloosa Jewish Food Festival.
The festival, hosted this Sunday by the Temple Emanu-El Sisterhood, will serve up a wide variety of Jewish cuisine, inspired by delis and Jewish food culture from around the world. Both boxed lunches and sampler bar tickets will be available for sale.
“You can have a meal, or you can buy tasting tickets, so you can have a bit of matzah or challah or kugel,” said Lisa Besnoy, program director at Bloom Hillel Jewish Student Center. “Hopefully you can taste things you will never forget.”
Bloom Hillel, located across the street from Temple Emanu-El, will offer a dining area for all those who purchase food at the festival. While Bloom Hillel students will also be volunteering at the event, Besnoy encourages others to come out and experience the variety of food.
“It’s really a great opportunity to try some food that you might not have had the opportunity to try before,” Besnoy said.
Meals available for purchase in the lunch box form include a brisket platter featuring vinegar-based slaw and a traditional potato kugel, a deli sandwich box featuring corned beef on rye bread, and a Mediterranean sandwich box featuring fresh falafel with pita, hummus and tabbouleh. Amy Ahmed, co-president of the Temple Emanu-El Sisterhood, described the wide array of food at the festival, which may be atypical to traditional Southern cuisine.
“We have the two aspects – you can get the lunch box meal, but we have this other area which is like a big sampler where you buy tickets for items, but instead of getting the whole plate, you can go and pick out what you want,” Ahmed said.
The sampler bar, an anticipated aspect of the festival, will feature a myriad of other Jewish favorites, including stuffed grape leaves, bagels and lox, matzo ball soup and desserts such as macaroons and baklava.
“This is a once a year opportunity to try something that isn’t your typical Southern barbecue,” Ahmed said. “It’s different and a sort of cultural boost, and it’s fun and lively, so I think students will enjoy getting that something different.”
Annie Yonge, a freshman majoring in theatre, said she enjoys having Jewish food at home with her family and can appreciate this taste of home.
“Jewish food is great,” Yonge said. “My mom makes a dank challah bread.”
The festival is this Sunday from noon to 2 p.m. at the Temple Emanu-El, located on Fourth Avenue between University Boulevard and Ninth Street. Boxed lunches vary from $10 to $12, and six sampler tickets cost $5.
