Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew

Twitty’s new book is the second in a kind of trilogy about African American cuisine (following his James Beard–awarded The Cooking Gene). Here Twitty focuses on the intersections between food and identity—specifically, how food, identity, and memory define people and cultures. He does this by reflecting on the Jewish and African diasporas and his own experience as a Black Jew. Divided into five sections, this is part memoir and part exploration into African-Jewish histories and identities, Black and Jewish relations, racism, and other topics. The volume also includes interviews with other Black Jews and chefs. Throughout the text, Twitty makes the case that Blackness and Judaism coexist in beautiful harmony, and this is manifested in the foods and traditions from both cultures that Black Jews incorporate into their daily lives.