Food Was Medicine

DeatraI would say a very large percentage, if not 100 percent, of Ashkenazi herbalism survived into the twentieth century, right up until the Holocaust. The herbalism associated with male practitioners who used the refues and segules books, the remedy and charm books, is still accessible and is even being practiced today in the United States and elsewhere. On the other hand, the folk medicine that had been practiced by the women folk healers, the bobes, the opshprekherins, the folk midwives, is much different from the male healers’ practices and comes from a combination of sources, some similar to the remedy books, but their practices varied more by region. That’s what’s been completely lost, because it was never written down. Women’s folk practices are traditionally transmitted by word of mouth and passed from older generations to the ones who came after. It’s very complicated to piece it back together, but it’s possible, even if only partially for now.

AdamWhen we were writing Ashkenazi Herbalism, it was apparent to us that plant healing (and magico-religious healing) were still widely practiced in Eastern Europe up until the Second World War. It seems that it’s not uncommon in modern Haredi communities. Amazingly, Jewish plant healing has survived in contemporary Eastern Europe: in Woven Roots, we introduce healing plant knowledge recorded recently, within the last decade or so, from Jewish healers in today’s Lithuania.

DeatraThere are written historical accounts that we can learn from. One of these sources is Life Is with People. In that book, we find “intimate” relations between Christian wet-nurses in Jewish households. Other examples might be the Christian midwife who spoke fluent Yiddish and delivered all the babies in a particular shtetl. You have to read the literature very carefully, because it’s not going to spell it out for you regarding folk healing relationships, since these activities were a given. No one really paid attention to these relationships, especially if they involved women and women’s lives or beliefs or practices. We’ve referred to this as one of the many “erasures” that have concealed this aspect of Jewish life in the diaspora, and we detail the phenomenon in both of our books, Ashkenazi Herbalism and Woven Roots.

AdamThe yizkor books that have been digitized and translated are a great source for revealing these sorts of intimate and intense cross-cultural connections. The prestige of Tatar healers among all peoples of the region, across Lithuania, Belarus, Poland, and Ukraine, is attested in the nineteenth- and twentieth-century ethnographic literature (including YIVO research) and in the yizkors. In the shtetls and villages, people often sought out the best or most esteemed healers, regardless of their religion. Some healers (Slav, Tatar, or Jew), particularly those who specialized in psychological disturbances, would attract all manner of patients from hundreds of miles away.

DeatraGarlic is virtually ubiquitous in Ashkenazi cuisine. In the shtetl, aside from a seasoning, it has also been a magical herb, sewn into clothing or worn around the neck to protect from illness.

AdamRaspberry is another staple in Ashkenazi healing remedies. Life Is with People and other sources such as the yizkor memory books contain stories about the healing properties of raspberry syrup in the villages. These were one of the berries that could be foraged in the forests in the summertime. The syrup recipe is described as a lengthy process that was cooked in big batches and had to be constantly stirred. It was stored in earthenware vessels to be given when someone was sick, although I read at least one account of children sneaking tastes. When I was a kid, my grandmother who came here from Poland always gave us rye bread with unsalted butter and raspberry jam (with seeds) for a snack.

DeatraI’m not sure people thought about these concepts the same way as we do today. For example, I’ve always been kind of skinny, especially when I was a kid. This drove my newly immigrated grandparents crazy, and they were always trying to get me to eat. Back then I thought it was funny and annoying that they were so insistent, but now I know that Ashkenazim in the Old Country really considered someone healthy only when they were a little plump and had a ruddy complexion. Food was medicine to them, as the saying goes. Another important health concern in the shtetls was being regular. Herbalists today agree that good digestion is foundational for good overall health.

And don’t discount chicken soup, the Jewish penicillin. Aside from the broth, this soup is made with many medicinal vegetables and herbs such as carrots, onions, and dill. And believe it or not, you can find chicken soup in very ancient Jewish writings on health and healing as a core remedy.

AdamThere’s not that sharp a distinction in applications, either: the same plant that appeared on the table might be applied to the skin.