How did some of our favorite “Jewish” foods come to be? Today we’re going to find out
Country of origin: Europe
Who doesn’t like potato kugel? But where did this beloved food come from? Who started eating it? When?
As you’re well aware, it’s assur to cook on Shabbos. So how did people have hot food on Shabbos morning in the days before Crock-Pots and hot plates? You might have heard how the bakery ovens were sealed up with everyone’s cholent pots inside until Shabbos morning. Cholent was pretty similar to how it is today: a stew of barley, beans, and a bit of meat or chicken bones. I guess they wanted to add a side dish, however, and the kugel was born.
At first, the kugel was very simple: some bread batter with eggs. This batter was placed directly in the cholent pot, as the moist, steamy environment protected the kugel from burning. It must have been a delightful addition to their Shabbos seudos of cholent and challah.
Then kugel started getting a little fancier, as things tend to do. Balabustas started adding fried onions to the batter, and when sugar became popular in Europe in the 1600s, well, l’kavod Shabbos kodesh, why not have a sweet side dish with your cholent?
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