Jewish Student Weekly

Although most food that are thought of as being Jewish food are not unique to Jews but the combinations and innovations brought to them by the Jewish community make them special to the Jews. I shall now guide you through the basic and most popular Jewish dished.

A lot of Jewish cooking revolves around the Shabbat (Sabbath) and thus special attention is paid to food cooked on this day.

One of the most basic of all Jewish foods is Challah. The Challah is a sweet bread traditionally used on festival and other special days. The bread is sweet and tastes a bit of egg. On most occasions the bread is braided but the shape may vary according to the occasion.

Another favourite is the Matzah Ball soup. It consists of chicken dumplings in soup.  It consists of thin chicken broth with a few large balls and in some cases carrots or celery or other variations may also be added to the broth.

Knishes are also extremely popular and served on most occasions. The word ‘knish’ stems from the Ukrainian word which means dumpling. Knishes are basically dumplings made out of potato and flour and stuffed with an assortment of things. The dumplings are baked not fried until they are nicely browned on the outside. They could be filled with potato and onion, beans, cheese or anything that catches the cook’s fancy.  They can be served as an appetizer or also as a side dish.

Many of the very common American food items including bagels are Jewish, though the ones available in most bakeries and stores are very different from the authentic Jewish bagel. Jewish food is symbolic to the occasion and different food items are served on different festivals. The food is also an amalgamation of food that is made in different countries of the world which the Jews have added their own touch to in order to make it their own.