Mildred Grosberg Bellin
Encyclopedia
Mildred Grosberg Bellin was an American cookbook
author
. She is most noted for her influential cookbooks Modern Jewish Meals and The Jewish Cookbook, which brought modern nutritional ideas into Jewish cooking
.
. Her father was Joseph Grosberg, a grocery industry pioneer and one of the founders of what later became the Price Chopper grocery chain. She attended Smith College
, from which she graduated in 1928 and where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. After graduation she directed meal-planning clubs and cooking classes at the Jewish Community Center in Albany, New York
, and married Dr. Harold Bellin, an Albany physician. In the 1930s, she wrote Modern Kosher Meals, which in later editions was renamed Modern Jewish Meals. This menu-planning cookbook was marketed as "first aid" for presenting "modern, economical, palatable, scientifically prepared Kosher food." Bellin's publisher, Bloch Publishing Company
of New York, claimed that the book sold more than 90,000 copies.
In his early book, Aller Retour New York
, Henry Miller
mentions seeing Modern Kosher Meals in a bookstore he called the "National Jewish Book Concern" on 31st Street in New York City, citing it (and other Jewish-interest books) in a disparaging fashion as evidence of the growing Jewish influence that he said was taking over New York.
Riding on the success of Modern Jewish Meals, she then took on the task of updating an older classic, The International Jewish Cookbook, originally written by Florence Kreisler Greenbaum for Bloch Publishing and published in 1918. Over time, Bellin expanded, revised, and modernized the book, until, in its 1958 edition, it contained more than 3,000 recipes, both traditional and non-traditional, taken from all parts of the Jewish world and from other cultures as well, adjusted both for the laws of Kashrut
and for the requirements of the “modern” kitchen. Bellin wrote that "Jewish cooking in its fullest sense, is international cooking based on the dietary laws," and she made an effort to combine the nutritional ideas of her day with the traditional foods of the Jewish kitchen. In a 1967 essay, Cynthia Ozick
focused on The Jewish Cookbook as an exemplar of kosher cookbooks, describing it as "a well-organized volume with a good index and a dizzily cosmopolitan glossary including both pupick and zabaglione."
Bellin also published columns on Jewish cooking in Gourmet Magazine and a syndicated column for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
and various Jewish newspapers. After Dr. Bellin's death in 1970, she moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma
, where she lived until her death in 2008 at the age of 99.
The Jewish Cookbook underwent minor revisions and was reissued again in 1983 under the title The Original Jewish Cookbook. It remains available from Bloch Publishing and continues to be an authority for traditional and non-traditional Jewish recipes. Bellin’s books were discussed in the catalog for the Jewish Museum
’s 1990 exhibition “Getting Comfortable in New York,” and Modern Jewish Meals was included in a 2006 exhibition on Jewish foodways
at the National Museum of American Jewish History
in Philadelphia.
Cookbook
A cookbook is a kitchen reference that typically contains a collection of recipes. Modern versions may also include colorful illustrations and advice on purchasing quality ingredients or making substitutions...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. She is most noted for her influential cookbooks Modern Jewish Meals and The Jewish Cookbook, which brought modern nutritional ideas into Jewish cooking
Jewish cuisine
Jewish Cuisine is a collection of the different cooking traditions of the Jewish people worldwide. It is a diverse cuisine that has evolved over many centuries, shaped by Jewish dietary laws and Jewish Festival and Sabbath traditions...
.
Biography
Mildred Grosberg was born and raised in Schenectady, New YorkSchenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
. Her father was Joseph Grosberg, a grocery industry pioneer and one of the founders of what later became the Price Chopper grocery chain. She attended Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
, from which she graduated in 1928 and where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. After graduation she directed meal-planning clubs and cooking classes at the Jewish Community Center in Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, and married Dr. Harold Bellin, an Albany physician. In the 1930s, she wrote Modern Kosher Meals, which in later editions was renamed Modern Jewish Meals. This menu-planning cookbook was marketed as "first aid" for presenting "modern, economical, palatable, scientifically prepared Kosher food." Bellin's publisher, Bloch Publishing Company
Bloch Publishing Company
Bloch Publishing Company is the oldest Jewish publishing company, and one of the oldest ongoing family businesses, in the United States.-History:...
of New York, claimed that the book sold more than 90,000 copies.
In his early book, Aller Retour New York
Aller Retour New York
Aller Retour New York is a novel by American writer Henry Miller, published in 1935 by Obelisk Press in Paris, France.Published after his breakthrough book Tropic of Cancer, Aller Retour New York takes the form of a long letter from Miller to his friend Alfred Perlès in Paris...
, Henry Miller
Henry Miller
Henry Valentine Miller was an American novelist and painter. He was known for breaking with existing literary forms and developing a new sort of 'novel' that is a mixture of novel, autobiography, social criticism, philosophical reflection, surrealist free association, and mysticism, one that is...
mentions seeing Modern Kosher Meals in a bookstore he called the "National Jewish Book Concern" on 31st Street in New York City, citing it (and other Jewish-interest books) in a disparaging fashion as evidence of the growing Jewish influence that he said was taking over New York.
Riding on the success of Modern Jewish Meals, she then took on the task of updating an older classic, The International Jewish Cookbook, originally written by Florence Kreisler Greenbaum for Bloch Publishing and published in 1918. Over time, Bellin expanded, revised, and modernized the book, until, in its 1958 edition, it contained more than 3,000 recipes, both traditional and non-traditional, taken from all parts of the Jewish world and from other cultures as well, adjusted both for the laws of Kashrut
Kashrut
Kashrut is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha is termed kosher in English, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kashér , meaning "fit" Kashrut (also kashruth or kashrus) is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha (Jewish law) is termed...
and for the requirements of the “modern” kitchen. Bellin wrote that "Jewish cooking in its fullest sense, is international cooking based on the dietary laws," and she made an effort to combine the nutritional ideas of her day with the traditional foods of the Jewish kitchen. In a 1967 essay, Cynthia Ozick
Cynthia Ozick
Cynthia Ozick is an American short story writer, novelist, and essayist. She is the niece of the Hebraist Abraham Regelson.-Background:Cynthia Shoshana Ozick was born in New York City, the second of two children...
focused on The Jewish Cookbook as an exemplar of kosher cookbooks, describing it as "a well-organized volume with a good index and a dizzily cosmopolitan glossary including both pupick and zabaglione."
Bellin also published columns on Jewish cooking in Gourmet Magazine and a syndicated column for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency is an international news agency serving Jewish community newspapers and media around the world. The JTA was founded on February 6, 1917, by Jacob Landau as the Jewish Correspondence Bureau in The Hague with the mandate of collecting and disseminating news among and...
and various Jewish newspapers. After Dr. Bellin's death in 1970, she moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, where she lived until her death in 2008 at the age of 99.
The Jewish Cookbook underwent minor revisions and was reissued again in 1983 under the title The Original Jewish Cookbook. It remains available from Bloch Publishing and continues to be an authority for traditional and non-traditional Jewish recipes. Bellin’s books were discussed in the catalog for the Jewish Museum
Jewish Museum
Jewish Museum may refer to:Australia* Jewish Museum of Australia, Melbourne, VictoriaAustria* Jewish Museum ViennaCzech Republic* Jewish Museum of PragueDenmark* Danish Jewish Museum, CopenhagenGeorgia...
’s 1990 exhibition “Getting Comfortable in New York,” and Modern Jewish Meals was included in a 2006 exhibition on Jewish foodways
Foodways
In social science foodways are the cultural, social and economic practices relating to the production and consumption of food.- Definitions :...
at the National Museum of American Jewish History
National Museum of American Jewish History
The National Museum of American Jewish History is a Smithsonian- affiliated museum in Center City Philadelphia, located on Independence Mall within the Independence National Historical Park.-Building:...
in Philadelphia.
Cookbooks
- Bellin, Mildred Grosberg, Modern Kosher Meals: recipes and menus arranged for each month of the year based on current food supplies, New York, Bloch Publishing Company, 1934 (subsequently reissued as Modern Jewish Meals), rev. ed. 1952
- Bellin, Mildred Grosberg, The Jewish Cook Book, New York, Bloch Publishing Company, 1941, rev. ed. 1958
- Bellin, Mildred Grosberg, The Original Jewish Cookbook New York, Bloch Publishing Company, 1983, ISBN 0819700584
- Listing at Bloch Publishing Company official website
- Listing at Amazon.comAmazon.comAmazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...