Rinat Tzadok’s father Shlomo doesn’t know his exact birthday. He was born during his parents’ journey from Yemen to Israel in 1949. In their new home, Yemenite recipes remained an essential part of family life. Rinat, who is a baker in Tel Aviv, remembers her grandmother Miriam cooking many of those dishes in a magic little shed in her yard.
For Yom Kippur, she made samneh, smoked clarified butter, that she infused with burned twigs and leaves. It added a campfire flavor to a warm yogurt soup called zom, which the family eats to break the fast. Today, in Israel, Rinat’s mother makes zom by mixing 9% and 5% soft white cheeses. In the U.S., Rinat recommends mixing sour cream, yogurt, and water. Serve the soup with schug and challah.
