This is the first work on the history and cultural significance of gefilte fish, one of the most iconic Ashkenazi Jewish specialties. It was primarily its role in the meals for the Sabbath that has made gefilte fish an important part of Jewish traditions in Eastern Europe. By now, however, it is most frequently served for Passover in the United States. As commercially produced jarred gefilte fish gradually replaced the homemade kind in America, the dish has become something many Jews love to hate. The book examines the rise, fall, and afterlife of this iconic dish, and how gefilte fish, even while detested, could remain so integral to Jewish memory and how it came to be identified with Eastern European Jewish heritage.

András Koerner was born in 1940 in Budapest and since 1968 has been living in the United States. He has published numerous books about the everyday lives and cuisine of Hungarian Jews before the Holocaust. His book, Jewish Cuisine in Hungary, won the 2019 National Jewish Book Award.

"I thought I knew almost everything about gefilte fish until I read András Koerner's fascinating The Story of Gefilte Fish in which he collaborated with none other than Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett. It was fascinating to read about how a simple Eastern European dish moved with migrants and travelers until it became the beloved and sometimes maligned mostly bottled version that it is in the United States today." (Joan Nathan)

INTRODUCTION
What is Gefilte Fish?
SABBATH
PASSOVER AND OTHER HOLIDAYS
EARLIEST HISTORY
HISTORY IN EUROPE
HISTORY IN AMERICA
GEFILTE VARIATIONS
GEFILTE FISH AS ICON
CONCLUSION