Goodman, Matthew

PERSONAL: Male.

ADDRESSES: Home—Brooklyn, NY. Agent—Henry Dunow, Dunow, Carlson, and Lerner Literary Agency, 27 W. 20th St., Ste. 1003, New York, NY 10011.

CAREER: Writer. Forward, New York, NY, author of "Food Maven" food column.

WRITINGS:

Jewish Food: The World at Table, HarperCollins Publishers (New York, NY), 2005.

Contributor to periodicals, including American Scholar, Harvard Review, and Art of Eating.

SIDELIGHTS: Brooklyn-based author Matthew Goodman writes about a number of subjects, but devotes much of his efforts to writing about food. His column, "Food Maven," appears regularly in Forward, and his writing has also appeared in American Scholar, Harvard Review, and Art of Eating. Goodman's book Jewish Food: The World at Table examines Jewish cuisine from a non-religious viewpoint, focusing on the worldwide nature of the dishes that are used in both secular and religious meals. Recipes range from the expected traditional foods, such as Gefilte fish and cheese blintzes, to more unusual dishes, such as red snapper in coconut milk and a spicy chicken popular in the Jewish neighborhood of Bombay. In a review for Booklist, contributor Mark Knoblauch pointed out that "Goodman includes plenty of lively historical and cultural background for his recipes." He went on to call Goodman's effort a "wide-ranging and heterogeneous cookbook that demands a new and deeper definition of Jewish food." Library Journal reviewer Judith Sutton called the book "thoroughly researched and the recipes well written" in what she labeled "an increasingly crowded field." A contributor for Publishers Weekly remarked that "Goodman deftly tackles his vast subject with these enlightening, engaging essays, which, coupled with the … recipes, make for a fine tribute to Jewish cuisine."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 1, 2005, Mark Knoblauch, review of Jewish Food: The World at Table, p. 1125.

Library Journal, February 15, 2005, Judith Sutton, review of Jewish Food, p. 152.

Publishers Weekly, January 17, 2005, review of Jewish Food, p. 48.