Abstract
In the fields of anthropology, psychology, and sociology among other academic disciplines, culinary history and food studies have caught the attention of scholars (Feinberg 2011). Throughout human history, the consumption of food has been assigned deep symbolic value beyond the human body’s physical biological need. This symbolic meaning is often used to convey cultural identity and to set tribal boundaries, and especially in the Jewish tradition, the role of food in its rituals and religious customs is unmatched (Feinberg 2011). Foodways have also been studied as a critical component of migration and human movement; by studying culinary history, one can trace the travels and influences of a cultural group (Diner 2001, 9-10).\r \r Challah is a food steeped in symbolic significance on many levels—historical, religious, and, arguably, regional. While this thesis will mainly be discussing the Ashkenazi perspective regarding challah and its rituals, the same questions and explorations might be brought to the examination of Sephardic Jewish traditions, and other culturally distinct Jewish groups.\r \r This thesis will provide a biblical background to the religious beginnings of challah; discuss European “challah” and trace its immigration to America and American culture; and then conclude by analyzing the role and meaning of challah among contemporary bloggers, authors, and bakers with a strong online presence. The thesis will consider the role(s) that challah plays in contemporary American Jewish identity, and how that role has shifted over the past century, and how that role has remained more stable. I will argue that among halakhically non-observant Jews, challah can serve as a strong access point to their Jewish identity, and that even halakhically, challah has not been solely about Shabbat for the past few centuries.