More Than a Cookbook: The Story of Russ & Daughters

Russ & Daughters: Reflections & Recipes from the House that Herring Built – Mark Russ-Federman | $75.00

Don’t pass over this book thinking it’s simply a cookbook. Russ & Daughters: Reflections and Recipes from the House That Herring Built is a rich and engaging family memoir that also happens to have some recipes. More than anything, it tells the story of four generations of one remarkable Jewish family whose lives have revolved around this business which is still going strong today.

If you’ve never heard the term appetising, you’re not alone. An appetising store isn’t quite a delicatessen. Emerging in New York’s Jewish immigrant neighbourhoods in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, these speciality food shops sold smoked and cured fish. (Like herring, lox, cream cheese, bagels and other dairy products). Because kosher dietary laws prohibit the mixing of meat and dairy, appetising stores developed alongside delicatessens like Zabars and kosher butchers, creating a distinctly Jewish food culture that became central to everyday life.

This book traces the family’s journey with the first generation, Joel Russ (a Jewish immigrant from Poland), and his wife, Bella selling herring from a pushcart in 1907 before starting that first brick-and-mortar Lower East Side storefront in 1914. It has thrived with four Russ family generations, and the stories here weave together the personal as well as Jewish history in the evolution of one of New York’s most beloved food institutions.

There are recipes as I mentioned; Bagel Pudding with Prunes and Raisins is reason enough to keep the book on your kitchen bench, but they are (almost) secondary to the storytelling. The continuity of purpose across more than a century is extraordinary, and the writing is generous and engaging. There are some lovely affectionate descriptions of some of their more traditional customers who came into the store over the years which will make you smile.

For anyone who loves Jewish food or a simply a beautifully told family story, this is a delightful read!