Curaçao's Jewish Comfort Cookie
Finding Solace in the Pages of a Curaçaoan Jewish Cookbook
Shalom from Israel.
There’s a beautiful custom-made bookshelf in our kitchen that was designed for the favorites of my cookbook collection. There’s too many for one shelf though and also for one room. So there are more in my office, in our living room, probably in my car. Point is, my cookbooks are everywhere in my home. If there’s a surface, there’s likely to be a cookbook on it. I like to keep several of my reference oriented volumes - lexicons, encyclopedias, etc.- close at all times. But no matter where they are, my cookbooks seem autonomous, always calling forth my attention just where and when I find them.
Recipes from the Jewish Kitchens of Curaçao has been surface-hopping for a few weeks now. I had my eye on this gem for years, but finally got my hands on a copy last year on Ebay when the usually-very-expensive cookbook dropped to just a couple of dollars. I was psyched to go deep into this one so I pulled it down before Rosh Hashana for some inspiration. The cookbook was first published in 1982 by the Sisterhood of Mikve Israel-Emanuel Synagogue which was built in 1730 and is the oldest surviving synagogue in continuous use in the Americas - still thriving today as a Reconstructionist congregation.
Curaçao, a small island in the southern Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela, became a haven for Sephardic Jews. These Jews, originally of Spanish and Portuguese origin, had first fled to Amsterdam to escape the Inquisition. Seeking further opportunities for refuge and religious freedom, they then made their way to Curaçao in the mid-17th century.
The indelible influence of the Jewish community of Curaçao can even be felt in Papiamentu, the Islands’ mother tongue and official language. For example, Beshimanto is a Papiamentu word, derived from the Hebrew phrase "be-siman tov", meaning "a good sign" or “good tidings”.
The culinary heritage of Curaçao's Jewish community extends beyond the pages of this cookbook. Perhaps the most well-known contribution to the island's gastronomy came from Haim Mendes Chumaceiro and Edgar Senior, creators of Senior's Curaçao Tonic, which became known as Curaçao liqueur. While many around the world produce Curaçao liqueur, only Chumaceiro and Senior's company (known today as Senior & Co.) use Laraha oranges (Citrus Aurantium Currassuviensis) native to Curaçao.
I intended on writing about something else this week, but when I came upon the recipe for Panlevi (crisp sponge cookies), I realized that sometimes the right recipe just finds you. It’s been a tough month. The weight of the one-year anniversary of October 7, 2023 - when Hamas attacked Israel, resulting in widespread loss of life and the ongoing conflict - and the uncertainty as to where we are headed as a nation, has been unbearable. We are just a few days away from Simchat Torah (a holiday celebrating the completion and restart of the annual Torah reading cycle), the most joyous of Jewish holidays, which will no doubt be bereft of joy for years to come. I’m not exactly in a celebratory mood, but we often find solace in unexpected places - like the pages of an old cookbook from a distant Jewish community.
According to Recipes from the Jewish Kitchens of Curaçao, Panlevi cookies are among the most popular recipes of the Curaçao Sephardim. They are baked for all holidays and other festive occasions. They are given to visiting relatives and friends and are sent as a “get well” to the sick. Panlevi cookies are the Curaçao's Jewish community’s culinary equivalent of a warm embrace. Unpretentious, simple to make, with straightforward flavors, these cookies reflect the mood: No showiness or pomp, no dancing in the streets this Simchat Torah. Just a quiet hope for healing, for Israel, and for all of us.
Always looking forward,
Harry
Panlevi (Crisp Sponge Cookies)
Yield: About 12 cookies
Ingredients:
3 eggs, well beaten
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, beat together eggs, sugar, salt, cardamon and cinnamon until well combined.
Blend in the vanilla.
Sift together flour and baking powder. Fold in the flour and baking powder into the wet ingredients by hand until just combined.
Line a baking sheet with baking paper or a silicone baking mat.
Drop a heaping tablespoon of batter onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart. This can be also done with a wet hand.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 8 minutes.
Lower the oven temperature to 270°F (130°C) and continue baking for 3 minutes, or until cookies are brown.
Remove from the oven and using an offset spatula immediately loosen cookies from the sheet.
Place cookies back in the turned-off oven to crisp.
Notes:
Watch the cookies closely during the final baking stage to prevent over-browning.
Returning the cookies to the cooling oven helps achieve their characteristic crispness.
Perfect for dunking into coffee, tea and hot chocolate.
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Recipe adapted from Recipes from the Jewish Kitchens of Curaçao. Drukkerij de Curaçaosche Courant, 1982
Fascinating history about the establishment of the Jewish community in Curaçao…and love the tip to return the cookies to the oven once it’s been turned off for crisping.
Thinking about you all in Israel, it was a rough year.