Food Memories

By Desiree Gil, Swampscott, MA

From my parents, Bery Burdin Sanford and Bob Sanford (Isador Strulovici of Botosani) I learned a great deal about Bessarabia – a land that sounded magical and out of a fairy tale. I am first generation American and I grew up in a small New England town. I was raised eating the foods of Bessarabia – Salate Vinete, Ikre, Kiftele, Mititei (my favorite), Stuffed Green Peppers, Kasha, fresh salads. One of the simplest foods was a green onion (scallion), only the green stem, dipped in salt. Garlic seemed to be a basic staple in our household. I hadn’t ever tasted fast food until I was 12!

My grandmothers were both very loving and polar opposites. My maternal grandmother, Eugenia Zissu, was to the manor born. She grew up in an affluent family in Galati. The family had a large home replete with servants and she attended the Notre Dame School for Girls. She appreciated the finer things in life. She was glamorous and beautiful and was a twin for Marlene Dietrich. From her I had my first taste of caviar at age 2. (The real thing not Salmon or lumpfish roe). She knew how to entertain exquisitely and was the ultimate hostess. Somewhere in my home is her very old Romanian cookbook. When I find it, and if we can find a volunteer or two to help translate, we will post some of those authentic Romanian recipes from long-ago.

My paternal grandmother, Cecelia, was a loving and very kind grandmother from Bucecea. She made Aliyah with my grandfather to Israel and I first met them in the 1960’s. She was very petite and a real balaboosta. In 1974 I graduated from high school early and went to live with my grandmother while attending Ulpan in Tel Aviv. My Savta grandma) loved to cook simple meals with much love and with all her heart. One of my favorite memories was having Shabbat dinner with her. She brought out her homemade chicken broth and to my surprise there was a cooked chicken claw in the middle of the soup! As a 17 year-old, I wasn’t sure how to react and didn’t want to appear rude. I remember trying to enjoy the soup as best I could while trying to push off the chicken’s claw. It became a funny story between the two of us. She made simple foods in Israel like a fried egg and salad for breakfast and for our big lunch a stew, chicken or meat. It wasn’t as grandiose as my grandmother Eugenia’s (Jenny) cooking but it was made with such love. I do remember that she would make sweets that were delicious.