“1, 2, 3 Nosh with Me” Introduces and Celebrates Jewish Food

A counting book that’s a fun exploration of Jewish foods? Yes, please!

“1, 2, 3, Nosh with Me,” by spouses Micah and Joshua Siva, is a beautiful resource for families who want to celebrate Jewish food, while educating their young children. “If there’s one thing that we can connect on its food,” Micah Siva told the Journal. “[The book] has been really well received by using food as a medium for talking about Jewish culture.”

The Sivas came up with the idea for “1, 2, 3, Nosh with Me” during COVID. They were looking for a book about Jewish food to gift to Micah’s newly pregnant sister and brother-in-law. As the only Jewish aunt and uncle (Micah’s brother-in-law is not Jewish), they wanted to find something meaningful to send. And, since Micah works in the Jewish food space, the food aspect was also important. “We also wanted to find a book that was not super-focused on one holiday and not focused on the religious aspects, but more of the cultural aspects of Judaism,” Micah said. “We knew that was a better fit for my sister’s family.”

When the Sivas couldn’t find something that spoke to them, they decided to make it themselves. After all, Micah is a trained chef, registered dietitian, recipe writer and food photographer. A lifelong lover of Jewish food, Joshua serves as taste tester and dishwasher, when he isn’t working his day job.

The couple hired Ukrainian artist Sviatoslav Franko to do the illustrations and had self-published the book. A few months later, the head of The Collective Book Studio reached out and said she would love to include the book as a part of their collection. “We were so excited because we figured that there are other people like ourselves, who grew up in a secular household [or] secular community, or looking for gifts for Jewish or interfaith couples,” Micah said. Traditional publishing would get it into more homes.

“1, 2, 3, Nosh with Me,” follows Buckwheat, an illustrated version of the Siva’s dog, as he counts through various Jewish treats, including matzah balls, hamantaschen, kugels and knishes. The book starts with one golden challah to celebrate Shabbat and concludes with ten crispy latkes served by candlelight on Hanukkah. 

Note: Micah’s recipe for applesauce, which is the perfect accompaniment for latkes, is in the sidebar.

At the end of the book, readers will find Micah’s trusted challah recipe, with illustrated instructions for how to make a braid and how to make a coil, along with creative ideas for toppings.  

Micah says the response has been really positive. The fact that the main character is their dog is an added bonus. “We’ve given samples of the book to friends in the Bay area, and we see them, and then their kids meet Buckwheat, they are so excited,” she said. “They think they’ve met a celebrity.”

When asked how she kept the food in the book to ten items, Micah said it was hard. There were so many options. “We must have had a list of 50 different foods that we wanted to include,” she said. “Then we realized that 50 is a little too high for a child to get to … so we stopped at 10.” 

Micah said it was a lot of fun to revisit some of the foods that they love the most. They also deliberately choose foods that people would be more likely to recognize, whether they items you would find in a Jewish Deli or on the average Jewish table. That way, “families who didn’t grow up with these foods could relate to it as well,” she said. 

The audience for the book is zero to six years of age, Micah explains, so it’s perfect for Jewish couples with young children and also grandparents. “We’re also noticing that people in interfaith relationships or people who are just curious about Judaism or want to have different representations on their bookshelf are interested in the book as well, which I think is fantastic,” she said. Adds Micah, People want to have “something that was more cultural in nature while still being respectful to the religious aspect of Judaism.”

“I want people to talk about Jewish food and think about it in a different way … that doesn’t necessarily feel like it has to be what my Bubbe would have made.”- Michah Siva

Micah wants Jewish food to feel modern, accessible and exciting. “1, 2, 3, Nosh with Me” certainly does that. “I want people to talk about Jewish food and think about it in a different way,” she said. “That doesn’t necessarily feel like it has to be what my Bubbe would have made.”

While the dietitian in Micah focuses on vegetable-forward dishes, she also makes all the treats you might find in a traditional Jewish household. “There’s so much joy and feeling and love and emotion when it comes to Jewish food,” she said. “It feeds my soul; [Jewish food] makes me feel like I’m connected.” 

“1, 2, 3, Nosh With Me” comes out September 5.

Simple Applesauce
Makes: 2 cups

Ingredients:
4 medium apples (I like to use
Granny Smith)
¾ cup water
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Optional:
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp freshly grated ginger
1 pod star anise
1 tsp vanilla extract

Peel the apples, if you prefer. Core and roughly chop them.
Combine the apples, water and cinnamon in a saucepan. Add the sugar and any additional spices, if using. Cover and cook over medium heat until softened, 15 to 20 minutes.
Let cool. Mash with a potato masher or fork, or blend with an immersion blender.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.