kugel

Kugel made with egg noodles

Kugel (Yiddish: קוגל kugl or קוגעל, pronounced koogel or kigel) is a baked Jewish pudding or casserole most commonly made from egg noodles (lochshen kugels) or potatoes, served as a side dish.

Etymology

The name of the dish comes from the Germanic root meaning "ball" or "globe" (see de:Kugel_(Gericht)), thus the Yiddish name likely originated as a reference to the round, puffed-up shape of the original dishes (compare to German Gugelhupf — a type of ring-shaped cake), however nowadays kugels are often baked in square pans. There is a common association of this word to the Hebrew k'iygul ("as a circle"), but this is a folk etymology.

History

The first kugels were made from bread and flour and were savory rather than sweet. About 800 years ago, cooks in Germany replaced bread mixtures with noodles or farfel. Eventually eggs were incorporated. The addition of cottage cheese and milk created a custard-like consistency which is common in today's dessert dishes. In Poland, Jewish homemakers added raisins, cinnamon and sweet farmer's cheese to noodle kugel recipes. In the late 19th century, Jerusalemites combined caramelized sugar and black pepper in a noodle kugel known as "Jerusalem kugel," which is a commonly served at Shabbat kiddushes and is a popular side dish served with cholent during Shabbat lunch.

Savory kugel may be based on potatoes, matzah, cabbage, carrots, zucchini, spinach or cheese.^[1]

Jewish festivals

Kugels are a mainstay of festive meals in Ashkenazi Jewish (Jews of Eastern European descent) homes, particularly on the Jewish Sabbath and other Jewish holidays. Some Hasidic Jews believe that eating kugel on the Jewish Sabbath brings special spiritual blessings, particularly if that kugel was served on the table of a Hasidic Rebbe.^[2]

A similar Belarusian dish is potato babka.

References

External links

• "Kugel Unraveled" article