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Not to be confused with Ice cream parlor.
B&H Dairy
Sign (top center) for Ratner's, Lower East Side, Manhattan (c. 1928

A Jewish dairy restaurant, Kosher dairy restaurant,[1][2] dairy lunchroom, dairy deli, milkhik or milchig restaurant is a type of generally lacto-ovo vegetarian/pescatarian kosher restaurant, luncheonette or eat-in diner in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, particularly American Jewish cuisine and the cuisine of New York City.

Overview

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Due to the strict rules for separating milk and meat in Jewish law, dairy or milchig restaurants evolved as an alternative to Jewish delicatessens which specialized in meat (fleischig).[3] They are generally ovo-lacto-pescatarian even though they may be referred to as "vegetarian" or "vegetarian and dairy restaurants".[4] Descended from the milchhallen or "milk pavilions" of Europe, they began appearing in the Jewish immigrant community of the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, where there were at one time hundreds of dairy restaurants.[5][6][7] Dairy kosher places were also found in Chicago and Toronto.[8][9] Dairy restaurant menus include items such as potato latkes, gefilte fish, matzo brei, vegetarian (milkhiker) borscht, kugel, protose (a synthetic vegetable meat substitute), pierogies, milk toast, poppy cakes, buttermilk, cheese blintzes and kreplach, as well as American dishes such as scrambled eggs or tuna salad.[4][10][11]

The rise of New York's dairy restaurants was aided significantly by the emergence of commercial refrigeration and the community complaints about expensive retail kosher butchers, which culminated in "meat strikes", such as the 1902 kosher meat boycott. The butchers blamed the Beef Trust, shippers, inspectors, and the kosher slaughter industry for raising the prices of kosher beef, causing New York housewives to riot on the Lower East Side and in Williamsburg proclaiming that they would live on fish. It led to citywide kosher meat shortages, and fridges made fresh milk and cream affordable. The growth in vegetarian diets, as promoted by progressive Jewish thinkers, also inspired a turn to dairy meals.[11]

Notable examples frequented by Jewish immigrants and American Jews, among others, include B&H Dairy and Ratner's.[12] As of 2024, B&H is still operating as one of the few, last remaining Jewish dairy restaurants in New York's former Yiddish theater district, and is run by an Egyptian Muslim and Polish Catholic couple.[13] Gangster Meyer Lansky frequented Ratner's, which named a bar after him.[14][15] According to one story, Leon Trotsky was said to have been particularly fond of a Jewish dairy restaurant called Triangle Dairy in the Bronx, whose waiters were Russian emigrés. Trotsky refused to tip after eating, leading to verbal abuse, poor service, and one incident where waiters intentionally spilled hot soup on him.[16] A restaurant known as Steinberg's on the Upper West Side was beloved by writers and theater people and a refuge for Zero Mostel when he was blacklisted.[17] Isaac Bashevis Singer, a noted Jewish vegetarian, was said to favor the Famous Dairy Restaurant on West 72nd St.[18][19]

A kosher dairy restaurant, certified by the Badatz (rabbinical court) of Jerusalem[20]

More recently, in Los Angeles, Steven Spielberg's mother opened an aptly named restaurant, The Milky Way.[21] In Boro Park, New York City, a 2007 write-up highlighted pizza and donuts among the dairy restaurants.[22] In 2022, New York's B&H Dairy received a grant (from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express) to redo its landmark facade.[23] Israel has more than a dozen major kosher agencies to certify restaurants; for example the US-based Orthodox Union supervises two milchig restaurants.[24] In Jerusalem, several major hotels have dairy kosher restaurants, including Inbal, Leonardo Plaza, and Ramada.[25] Israeli chef Meir Adoni opened a kosher restaurant in Singapore, choosing dairy due to the difficulty in obtaining kosher meat.[26] Adoni stated that, in Singapore, "Our target market is everyone. The kosher certificate is just a bonus. It doesn't affect the food quality. Quite the opposite."[27] Like other Jewish establishments, dairy restaurants also experienced protests and vandalism during the Israel-Hamas war, such as uptown New York café Effy's.[28][29]

Kosher dairy foods

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Lake Como restaurant in Washington Heights was certified for Chalav Yisrael pizza.[30]

Particularly in more observant denominations of Judaism, dairy restaurants are usually deemed kosher by virtue of supervision by a kosher certification agency. Some Orthodox Jewish authorities apparently treat strictly vegan restaurants as kosher, absent a certificate.[31] In 2023, vegetarian restaurants gained a vote of approval by Conservative Judaism's Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, which incorporates the movement's leniency for cheese made with animal rennet.[32]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Best Kosher Dairy Restaurant in Queens - Cafe Premiata". cafepremiata.com. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  2. ^ "Cafe Muscat Kosher Restaurant & Catering". muscatcafe. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  3. ^ Kraemer, David C. (2020-07-24). Jewish Eating and Identity Through the Ages. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-000-15938-7.
  4. ^ a b Katchor, Ben (2020-03-10). The Dairy Restaurant. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-8052-4219-5.
  5. ^ Katchor, Ben (2020-03-10). "How Dairy Lunchrooms Became Alternatives to the NYC Saloon 'Free Lunch.'". Literary Hub. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  6. ^ Elinsky, Kate (2020-06-30). "The Milchik Way". Jewish Review of Books. Archived from the original on 2024-09-08. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  7. ^ "Add this to your quarantine reading list: 500 pages on Jewish dairy restaurants and the 'milkhideke' personality". The Forward. 2020-05-27. Archived from the original on 2024-09-08. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  8. ^ Haddix, Carol; Kraig, Bruce; Sen, Colleen Taylor (2017-08-16). The Chicago Food Encyclopedia. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-09977-9.
  9. ^ Rosen, Amy (2019-09-03). Kosher Style: Over 100 Jewish Recipes for the Modern Cook: A Cookbook. Appetite by Random House. ISBN 978-0-525-60990-2.
  10. ^ Marks, Gil (2010-11-17). Encyclopedia of Jewish Food. HMH. ISBN 978-0-544-18631-6.
  11. ^ a b Moskin, Julia (April 6, 2020). "A Rich (Very Rich) History of the Jewish Dairy Restaurant". The New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  12. ^ Rosenberg, David (2009). "HISTORICAL NOTE: Holocaust Behind the Counter: L&G Luncheonette and the Origins of the East Village Poetry Scene". Chicago Review. 54 (3): 176–181. ISSN 0009-3696. JSTOR 25742523.
  13. ^ "B&H Dairy: A Small Restaurant With Big Heart Serves The East Village Since 1938 - CBS New York". www.cbsnews.com. 2021-03-26. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  14. ^ Hoagland, Molly Magid. "Greenwich Village Now: A Letter." New England Review (1990-) 19, no. 1 (1998): 99-104.
  15. ^ Koenig, Leah (2015-03-17). Modern Jewish Cooking: Recipes & Customs for Today's Kitchen. Chronicle Books. ISBN 978-1-4521-3232-7.
  16. ^ Hoffer, Bernard K. (April 1, 1965). "Trotsky in the Bronx". Esquire. Hearst Communications. pp. 156–157. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
  17. ^ "» Mid-Century Style, Black-List & Dairy Restaurants". www.landmarkwest.org. Archived from the original on 2024-09-12. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  18. ^ Berger, Joseph (1991-07-26). "I.B. Singer's New York: Fading, Yes, but Still Here". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2024-09-12. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  19. ^ Sider, West (2017-11-09). "Throwback Thursday: Famous Dairy Restaurant". West Side Rag. Archived from the original on 2024-09-12. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  20. ^ "Kosher certificate" (PDF). Holy Bagel. August 26, 2024. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  21. ^ Feder, Shira (2019-02-01). "Steven Spielberg's Family Kosher Restaurant 'The Milky Way' Is Reopening". The Forward. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  22. ^ Hershkowitz, Leo, et al. "New York City." Encyclopaedia Judaica, edited by Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik, 2nd ed., vol. 15, Macmillan Reference USA, 2007, p.232. Gale eBooks. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
  23. ^ Littman, Margaret (2024-03-06). "B&H Dairy restaurant, an East Village icon, gets a fresh take on its old-school look". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  24. ^ "OU Kosher Israel Guide" (PDF). OU Kashrut. 2013. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  25. ^ Walz, Steve K. (2015-03-24). "The New Hotel Food Wars". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  26. ^ i24NEWS (2022-10-12). "Israeli chef Meir Adoni opens kosher restaurant in Singapore". i24NEWS. Retrieved 2024-10-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ Golan, Tiki (2022-11-04). "Israeli celebrity chef leaves for Cyprus' greener pastures". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  28. ^ "Anti-Israeli vandalism at Upper West Side cafe investigated as possible hate crime". ABC7 New York. 2024-03-18. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  29. ^ Hadjenberg, Jackie (March 19, 2024). "Kosher restaurant on NYC's Upper West Side vandalized with anti-Israel graffiti". Times of Israel. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  30. ^ "Home". Lake Como Pizza. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  31. ^ Stiefel, Barry L. (2021). "Yes, but is it Kosher?". In Wright, Laura (ed.). The Routledge handbook of vegan studies. Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY: Routledge. pp. 196–197. doi:10.4324/9781003020875-20. ISBN 978-0-367-89746-8.
  32. ^ "Conservative Movement Approves Vegan, Vegetarian Restaurants as Kosher". Washington Jewish Week. 31 May 2023.
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