This is a four-dish sampling of a Medieval Rosh Ha’Shanah (New Year) meal which was part of my Pentathlon entry in the 2018 Middle Kingdom A&S Fair. A Pentathlon entry consists of, as the name would suggest, five components. My Pentathlon consisted of this 4-dish Rosh Ha'Shanah meal, my Ketubah (counted as two entries), my Evil Eye Research paper, and a Sideless Surcoat.

Rosh Ha’Shanah is part of a Jewish Holy Day season in the Fall known since the Middle Ages as the Yamim Nora’im (Days of Awe). (Apple) Rosh Ha’Shanah literally means "head of the year" which is why it is known as the new year in the Jewish calendar. Outside of the Holy Land it is celebrated for two days, the 1st and 2nd days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. Rosh Ha’Shanah marks the start of the High Holidays, the most holy days of the year culminating in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Interestingly, the term "Rosh Ha’Shanah" is not used in the Bible. The Bible refers to the holiday as Yom Ha’Zikkaron (Day of Remembrance) or Yom T'ruah (Day of Sounding of the Shofar) and is decreed in Leviticus 23:24-25.

Holidays and other special occasions are opportunities to bring out our best. We honor the occasion and our guests by creating a welcoming and festive presentation and atmosphere by the use of our best tablecloth, good dishes or china, silverware instead of everyday flatware, Grandma’s crystal, and centerpieces with fresh flowers and candles that add light and color to the room. 

The same was also true in the Middle Ages. Shabbat (Sabbath) and Holy Days were honored in the same way by setting a table different from the everyday and incorporating special foods into the menu. 

A White Table Cloth is used because even today we rarely use white on a daily basis because of the difficulty of keeping it white. White makes it special and also represents holiness and purity.

The Shofar is most commonly the hollowed-out horn of a ram. It was a relatively common medieval musical instrument. It should be noted that one of the biblical names for Rosh Ha’Shanah directly references the Shofar so it should be no surprise that the Shofar is a key component to the celebration of this Holy Day. On each day of Rosh Ha’Shanah a combined total of 100 notes are sounded on the Shofar composed of various specific combinations of four notes: t’kiah (a single note blast), shevarim (3 shorter rising note blasts), t’ruah (9 short, staccato notes), and t’kiah gedolah, literally a “big t’kiah"(a sustained as long as possible single note blast).

Two Candlesticks were used for lighting the Shabbat and Holy Day candles in recognition that the command to observe the Shabbat is written in scripture twice. Exodus 20:8-11 tells us to “Remember (zachor) the Sabbath day and make it holy” while Deuteronomy 5:12-15 says “Keep (shamor) the Sabbath day make it holy.”

Glass of Wine (grape juice if site is dry) is placed on the table for Shabbat and Holy Days so that the scriptural command of sanctification may be fulfilled. The Kiddush is the blessing said over the wine. Kiddush literally means "sanctification" and differs from the Shabbat blessing only in its specificity in reference to the Holy Day. 

"Blessed are you, Lord, our G-d, sovereign of the universe who creates the fruit of the vine (Amen). Blessed are you, Lord, our G-d, sovereign of the universe who has chosen us from among all people and exalted us above every tongue and sanctified us with His commandments, and You gave us, Lord our G-d, with love this Day of Remembrance, a Day of Shofar Blowing, a holy convocation, a memorial of the exodus from Egypt. Indeed, You have chosen us and made us holy from all peoples and Your word is true and established forever.

Blessed are You, Lord, our G-d, King over all the world, Who sanctifies Israel and the Day of Remembrance. (Amen) Blessed are you, Lord, our G-d, sovereign of the universe who has kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season (Amen)"

We know the Shehechiyanu blessing at the end of the Kiddush was in use during the 13th century because in his commentary on the prayer book, HaRokeach, Rabbi Eleazar Rokeach (1176-1238), explained that the three verbs of the blessing parallel distinct forms of praise and gratitude in the realms of soul, life, and essence per Psalms 146, 1-2. 

Apples and Honey / Pomegranates and Dates are sweet foods that have traditionally been eaten at Rosh Ha’shanah for centuries to represent the desire for sweetness and blessings rather than bitterness and tzuris (troubles) in the coming year. After eating a sweet food for the first time at Rosh Ha’hanah the following blessing is recited: “May it be Your will, Lord our G-d and G-d of our ancestors that you renew for us a good and sweet year.” (Y’hi ratzon mil’fanecha, Adonai Eloheinu velohei avoteinu  she-t’hadesh aleinu shana tova u-m’tuka.) 

Nucato (Honey Spiced Walnut Pastilles) found in Libro della cucina del secolo XIV, a collection of 14th Century Italian recipes.

Original: Dele mele bullito co le noci, detto nucato. Togli mele bullito e schlumato, con le noci unpoco peste e spezie cottte insieme: bagnati la palma de la mano coll'acqu et estendilo: lassa freddare a dil a mangiare. E puoi ponere mandole e avellane in luogo di noci .

Translation: Of honey boiled with walnuts, known as nucato. Take honey, boiled and skimmed, with slightly crushed walnuts and spices, boiled together: wet the palm of your hand with water and spread it out; let it cool, and serve. And you can use almonds or filberts in place of walnuts. (Redan)

Jews have been wishing each other “Shanah Tova Umetukah” (A Good and Sweet Year) since at least the 7th century. The Zohar, a 13th-century Jewish text, tells us that the beauty of G-d, reflected in the earth"diffuses itself in the world as an apple.”  

According to the Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, by Gil Marks, Jews did not start recording recipes in cookbooks until the 19th century. (Location 752, Kindle Ed.)  The exact recipes and methods in use to prepare food in during the Middle Ages can only be reconstructed through supposition, application of Jewish dietary restrictions, comparisons to non-Jewish sources, family recipes, and modern versions of these foods. 

Regarding basic cooking practices of Jews in the Middle Ages, The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand to New York (Roden) describes the following.

"In medieval Europe, Jews had congregated in separate parts of towns for protection and so as to be able to practice their religion, and Jewish quarters grew up around synagogues. In Germany, the Judengasse (Jewish quarters) had their own cemeteries, schools, laundries, public baths, law courts, slaughterhouses, and bakehouses. Housewives brought their food to be cooked in the communal oven and did their cooking at the bakehouse. Few had cooking facilities at home. One part of the bakehouse was reserved for meat, another for dairy."

The goal of this project was to create four dishes that would typically be found at a Medieval Rosh Ha’Shanah meal which is still the same in many Jewish homes even today.  All ingredients were purchased from local merchants as fresh as possible.  Dishes were prepared in a modern kitchen in a gas oven. 

The four dishes are described here and individually documented in the following pages.

Two Loaves of Bread (Dish #1) Why are there two loaves of bread on the table?  Simple, Jewish answer - Tradition1 When the Jews were wandering the desert with Moses, (Exodus) G-d provided food for them in the form of manna.  They were only allowed to collect what they needed for each day, except on Fridays when they were told to collect a double portion to carry them through the Shabbat when it is forbidden to work.  So in commemoration of the double portion of manna and as a reminder to trust in G-d, two loaves of bread are traditionally presented on the Shabbat and Holy Days. 

Tzimmes (Dish #2) A sweet slow-cooked vegetable and fruit stew, often served as a side dish or cooked with meat as a main.

Cholent - in a Pot (Dish #3) Eat and Be Satisfied, (Cooper) recounts the first reference to cholent was made by Rabbi Isaac of Vienna (c. 1180-c. 1250) who reported having seen it at the end of the 12th century in his teacher’s home in France. The most reasonable, though not the only, explanation of the origin of the name “cholent” (there are various pronunciations) is generally believed to come from the medieval French chault (hot) and lent (slow) in reference to the long slow cooking. 

Spiced Honey Cakes (Dish #4) “Honey cake is not so much loved as revered,” Arthur Schwartz writes in “Arthur Schwartz’s Jewish Home Cooking: Yiddish Recipes Revisited” (Ten Speed Press, 2008). Honey sweetened breads and cakes have graced tables or centuries “from Ancient Egypt and Rome to China.” (Koenig)

Previously, the only time I thought of flat bread and Judaism was Passover. A trip to Israel in 2016 gave me new insight to flat bread that is not thin, dry and tasteless.  A finely made “flatter” bread used for a special Shabbat or Yom Tov loaf is understandable. I discovered that I love making bread! 

"You [God] remember all the forgotten things. You open the Book of Memories and it speaks for itself, for each person's hand has signed it." (Unesanneh Tokef Prayer)

May your year be sweet, fruitful, and filled with contentment and promise.