Gil Marks, the author of several cookbooks and of the indispensable Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, died last Friday morning at the age of 62. 

While Marks's five cookbooks were celebrated and revered (his Olive Trees and Honey won a James Beard Award in 2005), it's his Encyclopedia which has contributed most to the scholarly food canon. The tome covers everything from adafina, a Spanish sabbath stew ("During the Spanish Inquisition, the single most incriminating dish connoting a retention of Judaism was adafina") to zwetschgenkuchen, an Italian tart/cake made with prune plums.  Many of the book's entries cover explicitly "Jewish" foods such as hamantashen or knish, while other entries—like those for harissa, empanada, couscous, and kheer—demonstrate the global reach of the Jewish Disapora.  And because, as Marks notes, "Jewish food has never been and is not now either monolithic or static," this 600+ page Encyclopedia should be a core reference title for any culinary historian or food enthusiast, regardless of religious affiliation or cultural background.

Marks was also the founding editor of Kosher Gourmet Magazine and contributed many articles to print and online publications, including this article on Manischewitz matzo which links the company's growth in Cincinnati to pioneers heading west and needing foods that wouldn't spoil en route. 

While I never had the privilege of meeting Mr. Marks, I did see him present at a food conference a few years ago. He spoke on a panel with other food luminaries, but it was clear that the other panelists revered him and saw him as the expert on the subject. His style was straight-forward, unassuming, and above all, extremely knowledgeable. Mark leaves behind a lasting and important legacy through his writings, and for that, we are thankful.