Jewish dairy restaurant

Not to be confused with Ice cream parlor.

Type of generally lacto-ovo vegetarian/pescatarian kosher restaurant

B&H about 1928, sign for Ratner's in background, Lower East Side

A Jewish dairy restaurant, Kosher dairy restaurant,[1][2] dairy lunchroom, dairy deli, milkhik or milchig restaurant is a type of generally lacto-ovo vegetarian/pescatarian kosher restaurant, luncheonette or eat-in diner in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, particularly American Jewish cuisine and the cuisine of New York City.

## Overview

[edit]

Due to the strict rules for separating milk and meat in Jewish law, dairy or milchig restaurants evolved as an alternative to Jewish delicatessens which specialized in meat (fleischig).[3] They are generally ovo-lacto-pescatarian even though they may be referred to as "vegetarian" or "vegetarian and dairy restaurants."[4]

Descended from the milchhallen or "milk pavilions" of Europe, they began appearing in the Jewish immigrant community of the Lower East Side in the late 19th and early 20th century, where there were at one time hundreds of dairy restaurants.[5][6][7] Dairy kosher places were also found in Chicago and Toronto.[8][9] Dairy restaurant menus include items such as potato latkes, gefilte fish, matzo brei, vegetarian (milkhiker) borscht, kugel, protose (a synthetic vegetable meat substitute), pierogies, milk toast, poppy cakes, buttermilk, cheese blintzes and kreplach, as well as American dishes such as scrambled eggs or tuna salad.[4][10][11]

The rise of New York's dairy restaurants was aided significantly by the emergence of commercial refrigeration and the community complaints about expensive retail kosher butchers, which culminated in "meat strikes." The butchers blamed the Beef Trust, shippers, inspectors, and the kosher slaughter industry for raising the prices of kosher beef, causing New York housewives to riot on the Lower East Side and in Williamsburg proclaiming that they would live on fish. It led to citywide kosher meat shortages, and fridges made fresh milk and cream affordable. The growth in vegetarian diets, as promoted by progressive Jewish thinkers, also inspired a turn to dairy meals. [11]

Notable examples frequented by Jewish immigrants and American Jews, among others, include B&H Dairy and Ratner's.[12] According to one story, Leon Trotsky was said to have been particularly fond of a Jewish dairy restaurant called Triangle Dairy in the Bronx, whose waiters were Russian emigrés. Trotsky refused to tip after eating, leading to verbal abuse, poor service, and one incident where waiters intentionally spilled hot soup on him.[13] A restaurant known as Steinberg's on the Upper West Side was beloved by writers and theater people and a refuge for Zero Mostel when he was blacklisted.[14] Isaac Bashevis Singer, a noted Jewish vegetarian, was said to favor the Famous Dairy Restaurant on West 72nd St. [15][16]

More recently, in Los Angeles, Steven Spielberg's mother opened an aptly named restaurant, The Milky Way.[17] In Boro Park, NYC, a 2007 write-up highlighted pizza and donuts among the dairy restaurants.[18] In 2022, New York's B&H Dairy received a grant (from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express) to redo its landmark facade.[19] In Jerusalem, several major hotels have dairy kosher restaurants, including Inbal, Leonardo Plaza, and Ramada.[20] Israeli chef Meir Adoni opened a kosher restaurant in Singapore, choosing dairy due to the difficulty in obtaining kosher meat.[21] Adoni claimed that, in Singapore, "Our target market is everyone. The kosher certificate is just a bonus. It has doesn’t affect the food quality. Quite the opposite.”[22]

Like other Jewish establishments, dairy restaurants also experienced protests and vandalism during the Israel-Hamas war, such as uptown NY café Effy's.[23][24]

## Kosher dairy foods

[edit]

Particularly in more observant denominations of Judaism, dairy restaurants are usually deemed kosher by virtue of supervision by a kosher certification agency. Some Orthodox Jewish authorities apparently treat strictly vegan restaurants as kosher, absent a certificate.[25] In 2023, vegetarian restaurants gained a vote of approval by Conservative Judaism's Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, which incorporates the movement's leniency for cheese made with animal rennet.[26]

## See also

[edit]

* Appetizing store
* Bar mleczny
* Greasy spoon

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Best Kosher Dairy Restaurant in Queens - Cafe Premiata". cafepremiata.com. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
2. ^ "Cafe Muscat Kosher Restaurant & Catering". muscatcafe. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
3. ^ Kraemer, David C. (2020-07-24). Jewish Eating and Identity Through the Ages. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-000-15938-7.
4. ^ a b Katchor, Ben (2020-03-10). The Dairy Restaurant. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-8052-4219-5.
5. ^ Katchor, Ben (2020-03-10). "How Dairy Lunchrooms Became Alternatives to the NYC Saloon 'Free Lunch.'". Literary Hub. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
6. ^ Elinsky, Kate (2020-06-30). "The Milchik Way". Jewish Review of Books. Archived from the original on 2024-09-08. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
7. ^ "Add this to your quarantine reading list: 500 pages on Jewish dairy restaurants and the 'milkhideke' personality". The Forward. 2020-05-27. Archived from the original on 2024-09-08. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
8. ^ Haddix, Carol; Kraig, Bruce; Sen, Colleen Taylor (2017-08-16). The Chicago Food Encyclopedia. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-09977-9.
9. ^ Rosen, Amy (2019-09-03). Kosher Style: Over 100 Jewish Recipes for the Modern Cook: A Cookbook. Appetite by Random House. ISBN 978-0-525-60990-2.
10. ^ Marks, Gil (2010-11-17). Encyclopedia of Jewish Food. HMH. ISBN 978-0-544-18631-6.
* Hersh, June (2023). Iconic New York Jewish Food: A History and Guide with Recipes. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4671-5260-0.
* Garner, Dwight (2020-03-16). "An Illustrated Love Song to Jewish Restaurants of Old". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
11. ^ a b Moskin, Julia (April 6, 2020). "A Rich (Very Rich) History of the Jewish Dairy Restaurant". The New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
12. ^ Rosenberg, David (2009). "HISTORICAL NOTE: Holocaust Behind the Counter: L&G Luncheonette and the Origins of the East Village Poetry Scene". Chicago Review. 54 (3): 176–181. ISSN 0009-3696. JSTOR 25742523.
* Smith, Gary Scott (2020-12-07). American Religious History: Belief and Society through Time [3 volumes]. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-1-4408-6161-1.
* Halper, Emanuel B. (2001). Shopping Center and Store Leases. Law Journal Press. ISBN 978-1-58852-003-6.
* Stein, Lori; Isaacs, Ronald H. (2023-06-14). Let's Eat: Jewish Food and Faith. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-7104-3.
* Sherman, Susan (2014-09-01). Nirvana on Ninth Street. Wings Press. ISBN 978-1-60940-408-6.
13. ^ Hoffer, Bernard K. (April 1, 1965). "Trotsky in the Bronx". Esquire. Hearst Communications. pp. 156–157. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
* Rubenstein, Joshua (2011-10-15). Leon Trotsky: A Revolutionary's Life. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-17841-8.
* Giffin, Frederick C. (1968). "Leon Trotsky in New York City". New York History. 49 (4): 391–403. ISSN 0146-437X. JSTOR 23162567.
14. ^ "» Mid-Century Style, Black-List & Dairy Restaurants". www.landmarkwest.org. Archived from the original on 2024-09-12. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
15. ^ Berger, Joseph (1991-07-26). "I.B. Singer's New York: Fading, Yes, but Still Here". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2024-09-12. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
16. ^ Sider, West (2017-11-09). "Throwback Thursday: Famous Dairy Restaurant". West Side Rag. Archived from the original on 2024-09-12. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
17. ^ Feder, Shira (2019-02-01). "Steven Spielberg's Family Kosher Restaurant 'The Milky Way' Is Reopening". The Forward. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
18. ^ Hershkowitz, Leo, et al. "New York City." Encyclopaedia Judaica, edited by Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik, 2nd ed., vol. 15, Macmillan Reference USA, 2007, p.232. Gale eBooks. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
19. ^ Littman, Margaret (2024-03-06). "B&H Dairy restaurant, an East Village icon, gets a fresh take on its old-school look". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
20. ^ Walz, Steve K. (2015-03-24). "The New Hotel Food Wars". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
21. ^ i24NEWS (2022-10-12). "Israeli chef Meir Adoni opens kosher restaurant in Singapore". i24NEWS. Retrieved 2024-10-13.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
22. ^ Golan, Tiki (2022-11-04). "Israeli celebrity chef leaves for Cyprus' greener pastures". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
23. ^ "Anti-Israeli vandalism at Upper West Side cafe investigated as possible hate crime". ABC7 New York. 2024-03-18. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
24. ^ Hadjenberg, Jackie (March 19, 2024). "Kosher restaurant on NYC's Upper West Side vandalized with anti-Israel graffiti". Times of Israel. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
25. ^ Stiefel, Barry L. (2021). "Yes, but is it Kosher?". In Wright, Laura (ed.). The Routledge handbook of vegan studies. Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY: Routledge. pp. 196–197. doi:10.4324/9781003020875-20. ISBN 978-0-367-89746-8.
26. ^ "Conservative Movement Approves Vegan, Vegetarian Restaurants as Kosher". Washington Jewish Week. 31 May 2023.

* v
* t
* e

Jewish cuisine

History|

* Ancient Israelite cuisine
* 1902 kosher meat boycott
* Jewish-American patronage of Chinese restaurants

Types|

* Ashkenazi
* American
* Ethiopian
* Israeli
* Mizrahi
* Bukharan
* Mountain Jewish
* Moroccan
* Syrian
* Sephardi
* Yemenite

Religious dietary laws and related terms|

* Fleishig
* Hechsher
* Kashrut
* Kitniyot
* Kosher
* Kosher by ingredient
* Kosher airline meal
* Kosher for Passover
* Kosher restaurant
* Kosher-style
* Mashgiach
* Milchig
* Pareve
* Shechita
* Treif

Chefs|

* Ron Ben-Israel
* Laura Frankel
* Ina Garten
* Gil Marks
* Joan Nathan
* Ruth Reichl
* Eyal Shani
* Michael Solomonov
* Yotam Ottolenghi
* Molly Yeh

Religious foods|

* Apples and honey
* Brisket
* Challah
* Charoset
* Dabo kolo
* Etrog
* Hanukkah gelt
* Maror
* Matzo
* Mishloach manot
* Mouna
* Pain petri
* Pekalach
* Showbread
* Teiglach
* Zeroa

Breads|

| Ashkenazi breads|

* Babka
* Challah
* Onion roll
* Pletzel
* Pumpernickel
* Rye Bread

|

Sephardic/Mizrahi breads|

* Bolo
* Challah
* Folar
* Jachnun
* Kubaneh
* Lachooh
* Laffa
* Lahmacun
* Lavash
* Malawach
* Manakish
* Markook
* Mouna
* Pain petri
* Pita
* Taboon bread
* Water challah

Ethiopian breads|

* Injera

Bagels and similar breads|

* Bagel
* Bagel Bites
* Bagel toast
* Bagel with cream cheese
* Bialy
* Everything bagel
* Montreal-style bagel
* New York-style bagel
* Pizza bagel

Pancakes|

* Pesaha Appam
* Atayef
* Blintz
* Cheese latke
* Chremslach
* Keftes
* Keftes de prasa
* Latke
* Mofletta
* Noodle latkes

Sweets|

| Cakes and sweet pastries|

* Apple strudel
* Atayef
* Babka
* Basbousa
* Cheesecake
* Coffee cake
* Crumb cake
* Dobosh
* Flourless chocolate cake
* Jewish apple cake
* Krantz cake
* Kugelhopf
* Lekach
* Linzer torte
* New York cheesecake
* Pan d'Espanya
* Plum cake
* Rugelach

|

Other desserts|

* Baklava
* Ashure
* Bambalouni
* Bolo
* Carrot pudding
* Halva
* Halvah ice cream
* Jordan almonds
* Kogel mogel
* Krembo
* Lokum
* Malabi
* Marzipan
* Marunchinos
* Milky
* Mofletta
* Poppy seed roll
* Sesame seed candy
* Sfinj
* Sponge cake
* Sufganiyot
* Strudel
* Streuselkuchen

Cookies|

* Alfajores
* Biscochos
* Black and white cookie
* Chinese cookie
* Egg kichel
* Duvshaniot
* Hadji bada
* Hamantaschen
* Honey buttons
* Jewish almond cookie
* Jødekager
* Kichel
* Kipfel
* Linzer cookie
* Ma'amoul
* Macaroons
* Mandelbread
* Marunchinos
* Rainbow cookie
* Rugelach
* Tahini cookie

Pastries|

* Bichak
* Bourekas
* Boyoz
* Bulemas
* Chebureki
* Flódni
* Hojaldre
* Knish
* Nunt
* Pastelitos de hoja
* Pastilla
* Pirozhki
* Sambusak
* Ziva

Fried foods|

* Blintz
* Buñuelo
* Brik
* Carciofi alla giudia
* Churro
* Corn schnitzel
* Falafel
* Fatoot
* Fatoot samneh
* Fazuelos
* Fish and chips
* Fried cauliflower
* Fritas de prasa
* Gribenes
* Jelly doughnut
* Keftes
* Keftes de prasa
* Kibbeh
* Ktzitzot Khubeza
* Latke
* Matzah brei
* Noodle latkes
* Potatonik
* Sfinj
* Sufganiyot
* Teiglach
* Torrija
* Tulumba

Dumplings, pastas and grain dishes|

* Bsisa
* Bulgur
* Couscous
* Dampfnudel
* Egg noodles
* Dolma
* Farfel
* Fideos
* Freekeh
* Gefilte fish
* Germknödel
* Gondi
* Kasha
* Kasha varnishkes
* Kneidlach
* Kreplach
* Kibbeh
* Kubbeh
* Lokshen kugel
* Macaroni hamin
* Manti
* Matzo ball
* Orez Shu'it
* Pelmeni
* Pierogi
* Pilaf
* Ptitim
* Shirin polo
* Shlishkes
* Soup mandels
* Tabbouleh
* Tahdig
* Vareniki

Casseroles and savory baked dishes|

* Almadrote
* Brisket
* Cholent
* Hamin
* Holishkes
* Jerusalem kugel
* Karniyarik
* Kishka
* Knish
* Ktzitzot Khubeza
* Kugel
* Lokshen kugel
* Matzo lasagna
* Pom
* Potato kugel
* Potatonik
* Sólet
* Stuffed artichoke
* Stuffed cabbage
* Stuffed peppers
* Tagine
* Yakhna
* Yapchik

Snacks and other baked goods|

* Bamba
* Bissli
* Khachapuri
* Pitzuchim
* Pretzel
* Shkedei marak
* Stuffed dates

Sandwiches|

* Corned beef sandwich
* Hillel sandwich
* Pastrami on rye
* Rachel
* Reuben
* Sabich
* Sailor sandwich
* Shawarma
* Tuna sandwich

Egg dishes|

* Beitzah
* Fatoot samneh
* Haminados
* Hardboiled egg
* Matzah brei
* Matzoquiles
* Shakshouka

Meat dishes|

* Brisket
* Cholent
* Chopped liver
* Corned beef
* Gribenes
* Gondi
* Hamin
* Helzel
* Hot dog
* Jerusalem mixed grill
* Kebab
* Kibbeh
* Kishka
* Kofta
* Merguez
* Miltz
* Montreal smoked meat
* Pargiyot
* Pastilla
* Pastirma
* Pastrami
* Plov
* Sanbat wat
* Shawarma
* Schmaltz
* Shish kebab
* Shish taouk
* Sujuk
* Tagine

Fish dishes|

* Abudaraho
* Chraime
* Dressed herring
* Fish and chips
* Gefilte fish
* Gravlax
* Herring
* Ikra
* Kipper
* Lakerda
* Lox
* Pescado frito
* Pickled herring
* Schmaltz herring
* Smoked salmon
* Smoked whitefish
* Tarama
* Tunafish
* Tuna salad
* Tuna salad sandwich
* Vorschmack
* Whitefish salad

Salads and pickles|

* Apio
* Eggplant salad
* Israeli salad
* Kosher dill pickle
* Matbucha
* Pickled cucumber
* Tabbouleh
* Torshi

Vegetable dishes|

* Bamia
* Dolma
* Stuffed cabbage
* Tzimmes

Soups and stews|

* Adom kubbeh
* Avgolemono
* Borscht
* Chamo kubbe
* Chicken noodle soup
* Chamin
* Chamo kubbeh
* Cholent
* Ghormeh sabzi
* Gondi
* Hamusta kubbeh
* Matzo ball soup
* Msoki
* Poike
* Sanbat wat
* Schav
* Sofrito
* Tarator

Cheeses and other dairy products|

* Akkawi
* Ayran
* Clarified butter
* Cottage cheese
* Cream cheese
* Farmer's cheese
* Feta
* Kashkaval
* Kefir
* Labneh
* Quark
* Sirene
* Smen
* Smetana
* Sour cream
* Strained yogurt
* Tzfat cheese

Condiments, dips and sauces|

* Applesauce
* Amba
* Baba ghanoush
* Charoset
* Chrain
* Filfel chuma
* Harif
* Harissa
* Hilbeh
* Hummus
* Horseradish
* Mikpah Ful
* Muhammara
* Mustard
* Resek avganiyot
* Spicy brown mustard
* Tahini
* Tatbila
* Zhoug

Beverages|

* Arak
* Beer
* Boukha
* Boza
* Cel-Ray
* Dr. Brown's
* Egg cream
* Grape juice
* Kedem
* Linden flower tea
* Mint lemonade
* Manischewitz
* Pomegranate juice
* Salep
* Seltzer
* Tallah
* Vodka Perfect
* Wine

Herbs, spices and seasonings|

* Anise
* Baharat
* Cardamom
* Cinnamon
* Consommé
* Dried onion
* Everything bagel seasoning
* Hawaij
* Montreal steak seasoning
* Licorice root
* Nigella seeds
* Poppy seed
* Sesame seeds
* Za'atar

Eateries|

* Appetizing store
* Dairy restaurant
* Deli
* Kosher

Related lists|

* List of foods with religious symbolism
* List of Jewish cuisine dishes
* List of kosher restaurants
* List of restaurants in Israel

* Category

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template