Bread Made at Home
In Old Yishuv communities, bread was usually baked at home. Families bought flour in bulk or took their wheat to be milled, then baked in brick or mud ovens. Commercial bakeries appeared in the mid-19th century. When bread dried out, it could be turned into a pudding called boyos de pan.
Food choices reflected scarcity. Milk was often reserved for pregnant women or the sick, and almond milk could serve as a substitute. Some families bought labneh, or sour milk, from Arab peasants; Sephardim preserved soft cheese in tins of salt water.
Saving for Winter
Meat was rare in the 1870s and generally eaten on Shabbat and festivals. It became more available toward the end of the century, though chicken remained a luxury. Fresh fish was costly, especially in Jerusalem during winter; salted cod was soaked before being prepared for weekday or Sabbath meals.
Families prepared for colder months by storing large quantities of food. Sephardic households kept rice, flour, lentils, beans, olives, and cheese. Ashkenazim stored items including wine, spirits, olives, sesame oil, and wheat. Eggs were packed in slaked lime, while grapes became wine and olives and eggplants were pickled.
The pantry was a form of planning and preservation. What a family could eat in winter depended on what it had saved when the season allowed.
