Kugel Yerushalmi Explained

Kugel Yerushalmi
Alternate Name:Jerusalem kugel
Country: Israel
Creator:Local Jewish followers of the Gaon of Vilna
Type:Kugel
Main Ingredient:Noodles, caramel, black pepper

Kugel Yerushalmi, also known as Jerusalem kugel, is an Israeli kugel originating from the local Jewish community of Jerusalem in the 1700s.[1] The dish is served on Shabbat and holidays.[2]

History

Kugel Yerushalmi is said to have been created in Jerusalem by local Ashkenazi Jews during the 1700s by the followers of the Vilna Gaon, a Jewish religious scholar.[3]

Overview

Jerusalem kugel differs from other traditional Ashkenazi style noodle kugels in a number of ways. Nonetheless, it has become a staple of Ashkenazi foods. Jerusalem kugel is always made with thin egg noodles, similar in appearance to spaghetti. The defining ingredient of Jerusalem kugel is black pepper, which is uncommon in other varieties of kugel, and which can give it what the New York Times food writer Melissa Clark has described as a "sinus-clearing" potency.[4] It is made with a sauce similar to caramel, which the noodles are then coated with and then seasoned with black pepper before being placed in a baking pan (either a pan with a hole in the middle similar to a bundt pan, or a round and flat pan similar to a cake pan), and placed in the oven to bake.[5]

Jerusalem kugel does not typically contain dairy and is pareve.

The dish is served on Shabbat and holidays.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jerusalem Kugel recipe . Food Republic . 23 September 2014 . 22 October 2019.
  2. Book: Ungar, Carol . Jewish Soul Food: Traditional Fare and What It Means . 2015 . Brandeis University Press . 978-1-61168-501-5 . Waltham, Massachusetts . 194 . According to local legend, the recipe for Yerushalmi (Jerusalemite) kugel was brought to Jerusalem from Lithuania by the students of the Vilna Gaon during the eighteenth century. Even now their descendants continue to prepare this intriguingly sweet and spicy kugel to serve on Shabbat and at celebrations..
  3. News: Nathan. Joan. September 28, 2005. Kugel Unraveled. The New York Times . The New York Times. 22 October 2019.
  4. News: Clark. Melissa. 2020-12-07. A Kugel That's Savory and Sweet (and Crispy, Too). en-US. The New York Times. 2021-09-16. 0362-4331.
  5. Book: Silverton . Nancy . Israel Eats . Galilean Kugel.