The Power of Food: Teaching us About History, Resilience and Identity

What if your kitchen could take you back in time? This week on In My Kitchen with Paula, I had a fabulous chat with culinary historian, chef, and author Dr. Hélène Jawhara Piñer for an extraordinary journey through Sephardic food, memory, and identity.

Sephardic food, and who the Sephardic Jews are is discussed in the beginning of the episode. I knew a little bit, but I had no idea how much I did not know! I was fascinated by Hélène's research into the inquisition trials, where she could then determine and re-create recipes or dishes from the Sephardic Crypto-Jews.

What made this interview even more special, is I didn't realize at the time that we had our interview on the Jewish Community's Holocaust Remembrance Day - April 28th (this year) - Yom HaShoah

Episode 30: Culinary Time Travel: Sephardic Flavours and Tales with Hélène Jawhara Piñer

What can food tell us about history, identity, and resilience?

In this episode of In My Kitchen with Paula, I sit down with Hélène Jawhara Piñer — historian, professor, and author of Matzah and Flour — to explore the powerful stories behind Sephardic cuisine. With a PhD in medieval history and the history of food, Hélène shares how her research into Inquisition trials and Jewish food traditions unearthed a rich, global culinary heritage that continues to shape how we eat today.

We discuss her personal story, including growing up between French and Andalusian cultures, and how her work connects history, religion, and recipes in surprising and eye-opening ways.

You’ll hear reflections on:

📚 The real history of Sephardic Jews and how their food evolved post-1492
🥖 The cultural and spiritual meaning behind matzah and unleavened bread
🧾 Why Inquisition trials are an unlikely but powerful source of food history

Whether you’re a food lover, history buff, or curious traveler, this episode will leave you inspired to see meals — and menus — through a deeper, more meaningful lens.

HELPFUL LINKS📘 Get Hélène’s cookbook Matzah and Flour
📕 Check out her first book: Sephardi: Cooking the History
📸 Follow Hélène on Instagram
🧳 Download my free Travel Planning Tool

Happy Travels and Happy Cooking! Just hit reply to this email to say hi or to get in touch!

-Paula

P.S Next week, I will be sharing my chat with Anna Voloshyna, a culinary activist, cookbook author and passionate about her home: The Ukraine. Anna shares what it was like to cook for the soldiers on the frontlines and much more.