17 Comments
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Louise R's avatar

What an inspiring conversation! Great endorsements of Rachel's book and I can't wait to stop by Seed & Mill on my next trip to New York. David, when are you going to Japan? I enjoyed following in your footsteps at food stops in NYC in May and I would like to do the same when I go to Japan in the fall. Cheers

Camille M Hallman's avatar

This interview with Rachel Simons was very interesting. I tried not to buy her book because I have so many cookbooks already, but I couldn't help myself. I'm so glad I did. It's a great book and I'm already using the recipes! Thank you.

Lisa O’Donnell's avatar

Great interview! I appreciated your discussion of the complexity surrounding who gets to cook X food. Can’t we all just make yummy food and linger together to remind ourselves about what’s good in this world? Rachel is a gem! I look forward to seeking her out the next time I’m in NYC.

David Lebovitz's avatar

Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi wrote a good piece about that, and yes, it's hard to track down who made what, and when, and where it was invented, etc. Most food crosses borders by immigrants, who adapt dishes using ingredients they weren't used to finding in their home country - such as Italians, who came to America and found abundant canned tomatoes, and used the in Italian-American cooking. Like you mentioned, I find the global mix of flavors and cultures to be something good about the world. Rachel is really a gem - glad you liked the podcast!

Frances Anamosa's avatar

That was a wonderful interview. Lots of fun to listen to the two of you! Thanks!

Rachel Simons's avatar

David - this was my very favorite interview about the book! Thank you so much for making the time to chat! I'm about to share a few more pics from that lovely day over at Joyva with Jake! So glad that happened!

David Lebovitz's avatar

As always, it was a pleasure to talk to you. Am loving your book and can't wait to take a deeper dive into the recipes!

Frances Ray's avatar

What a great interview. I'd forgotten how much I loved tahini, hummus and halvah when living in the Middle East. And I just ordered Rachel's book.

Lynn B.'s avatar

Great interview. Reminded me I haven’t made hummus in awhile. Thanks 😎

Laura F.'s avatar

David is correct: Seed + Mill's Tahini Soft Serve is a must eat for all sesame fans. Truly delicious! Get over to Chelsea Market in NYC and try some.

Sandra H.'s avatar

I really enjoyed this interview! What a fascinating and thoughtful person Rachel Simons is.

nancy ivey's avatar

I am so happy to get this post. I love hummus and have been wanting a good source for tahini. This post took me to one of your prior posts on hummus. I use my instapot to cook the chickpeas and it completely disintegrates them so they are perfect for hummus. Zahav in Philly makes insane hummus but the recipe is a bit arduous. With her tahini and your recipe I’m good to go. Thank you for your always fun and informative posts David. And an instapot is TOTALLY worth making space for. It’s a workhorse for everything.

David Lebovitz's avatar

When I was in Jerusalem I learned one of the big 'secrets' is to cook the chickpeas until they mush when you press them. Even the canned or jarred ones need to be cooked more. And road to success is to use good tahini. We went to a tahini mill and I was wowed by how wonderful the tahini was - and yes, I bought home three large jars, very carefully wrapped, of course.

Jerry Mansfield's avatar

Love it! Reminds me of a classic Lucy and Ethel episode where they were working in a chocolate factory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnHiAWlrYQc

Denise San Antonio Zeman's avatar

Another fantastic interview!

Catherine M's avatar

I am a nice Anglo girl born in Melbourne fourth generation Australian and I have to say that tahini and hummus have been part of my food vocabulary since the mid to late 70s when I was very young. We live in what is still a wonderful multicultural society here. Despite all the international events that threaten to disrupt. I am forever grateful.

David Lebovitz's avatar

We had tahini when I worked in a vegetarian restaurant back in the 80s, and Joyva, where we went, I think recently celebrated their 100th anniversary. They make the tahini and pipe it under the street, where they use it to make Joyva halvah.

I just realized I saved the IG Stories video that I took there, where are here:

https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17870290807545497/