JEWISH FOOD

One of the ways in which changes within Britain s Jewish community have been evident is in shifts in what Jewish grocers and delis have sold. In the late 20^thC the established eastern and central European dishes of the Ashkenazim lost ground to Sephardic Mediterranean and Middle Eastern-style dishes.

Website: https://therekosher.com

Bagels

Russian and Latvian Jews called bagels baygels , while Polish ones referred to them as beigels . In the East End the latter pronunciation predominates.

Location: Beigel Shop, 155 Brick Lane, E1 6SB (purple, red)

Beigel Bake Brick Lane Bakery, 159 Brick Lane, E1 6SB (purple, brown)

See Also: BREAD; LANGUAGE & SLANG Accents

Jewish Restaurants and Delis

Bloom s

Bloom s is Britain s oldest kosher restaurant business. It is famed for its salt beef sandwiches and the abruptness of its waiters. The business was founded in 1920 by Morris Bloom, a Lithuanian refugee. Its original premises were at No. 58 Brick Lane on the corner with Old Montague Street. In 1924 he moved the business to No. 2. In 1952 it was relocated to Whitechapel High Street. Eleven years later the Bloom s at No. 130 Golders Green Road opened. In 1996 the closure of the Whitechapel restaurant was announced. The one in Golders Green continued to trade until 2010, when it too closed.

Location: 130 Golders Green Road, Barnet, NW11 8HB. Closed.

90 Whitechapel High Street, E1 7RA. Closed. (purple, brown)

Harry Morgan s

Harry Morgan s operates a chain New York Deli Restaurants. The business was founded in 1948 by Harry Morgan, a butcher. In 2008 the Harry Morgan s outlets included one in Harrods Food Hall.

Location: Harry Morgan s, 29-31 St John s Wood High Street, NW8 7NH. Closed in 2021.

Website: www.harryms.co.uk

Reubens Restaurant

Reubens Restaurant was founded in 1973. The business is supervised by the Sephardi Kashrut Authority.

Location: 79 Baker Street, W1U 6RG (purple, yellow)

Website: https://reubensrestaurant.com

Smoked Salmon

In the late 19^thC the Ashkenazim Jews arrived in London with a taste for smoked salmon. The British had their own tradition of smoking fish but practised it only on haddock and herring. The immigrants took to importing from the Baltic barrels of salmon in brine. After a while, they realised they could buy fresh wild salmon at Billingsgate Market. In the early 20^thC smoked salmon began to be sold in London s restaurants and food halls.

In the 1970s salmon started to be farmed commercially in Scotland. However, the Scots practice of smoking was different from that of the East Enders. The former were smoking in order to impart a smoky taste, whereas the latter were working in a tradition of food preservation. As a result, the Cockneys output was perceived as being more subtle than that of their northern counterparts.

See Also: FOOD MARKETS, FORMER Billingsgate Market

H. Forman & Son

H. Forman & Son was founded in 1905 by Harry Forman, who had been born in Odessa.

In 2010 H. Forman & Son operated the only surviving smokery in the East End. The business was still owned by a member of the Forman family.

Location: Stour Road, Fish Island, E3 2NT. The business s canalside front is in part painted salmon pink.

Website: www.formans.co.uk

David Backhouse 2024