Black Radish and Onion Conserve: Shvarte Retach mit Schmalz
When I try the 1000 Foods to Eat Before you Die, some are so amazing that I am shocked I hadn’t heard about them. Others I find horrible and some I find interesting but not likely something I would make or eat again. This Black radish conserve is one of those things that I found interesting but not so compelling that I would need to have it again. So the history of this dish is that it gives quite a few calories which were needed by Eastern European Jews in the winter. It is my understanding (if you believe the internet) that it is a dish that has fallen out of favor but has historic significance. I have watched Fiddler on the Roof so many times but have been told that Tevye says that maybe Reb Sholom Aleicham had moved to a better place: “the place where black radishes and chicken fat are not eaten”. Seems like even in a historical context, these were not all that popular or at least looked upon as not the stuff of dreams.
First of all, the black radish (which is black on the outside but white like a daikon) is very much more like a daikon or horseradish in taste. There are only five ingredients: grated black radish, grated onion, salt and pepper and the rendered chicken fat called schmaltz. FYI, Schmalz is also a 1000 thing all by itself and to be honest , something I am very, very anxious to use for cooking. It is the consistency of melted butter and has an amazing taste. This is something you can make yourself but I used my good friends at Amazon and ordered fatworks version.
When these five ingredients are combined and eaten on top of a small slice of a rye bread, the overall taste is really pleasant. It is hard to imagine that bacon isn’t an ingredient as it does really have a bacon-like taste. I guess, if something tastes like bacon, it should be bacon so I would not be in a big hurry to have this again. That being said, if I find myself in need of calories in the dead of winter in Eastern Europe, I am pretty sure I would happily eat this all winter long.
