Knish author bakes up entertaining talk at Heights Library
In discussions of traditional Eastern European Jewish food, the knish is often an afterthought. To begin with, it’s rarely a meal, usually a snack. Secondly, in most old-time Jewish delis, it was always one of the lowest-priced items on the menu, along with hot dogs. Third, many people are only aware of the plebian “Coney Island” square potato knish that is sold by street vendors.
However, real knish fans know that knishes come in many varieties — potato, kasha, spinach, meat, sweet potato, cherry cheese, you name it. All of these knishes could be found at Mrs. Stahl’s Knishes, the legendary emporium under the el train in Brighton Beach.
Laura Silver, author of “Knish: In Search of the Jewish Soul Food,” was a devotee of Mrs. Stahl’s. After it closed, she began the research and legwork that culminated in her book. She gave a talk based on the book, along with a slide show, at the Brooklyn Heights Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library on Tuesday evening, sponsored by the Friends of the Brooklyn Heights Branch Library.