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Matzah ball

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Matzah ball
Alternative namesKneieydl, knaidel or kneidel in singular. Kneydlech, knaidelech or kneidelech, or knaidlach in plural.[1]
TypeDumpling
Region or stateAshkenazi Jewish areas of Central and Eastern Europe,[2][3][4]
Serving temperatureTemperature at which broth simmers[5][6]
Main ingredientsMatzah meal, egg, water, oil or schmaltz or margarine[5][6]
  •  Wikimedia Commons logo Media: Matzah ball

Matzah balls or matzo balls are Ashkenazi Jewish soup morsels made from a mixture of matzah meal, beaten eggs, water, and a fat, such as oil, margarine, or chicken fat. Known as knaidel in Yiddish (Yiddish: קניידלעך, romanized: kneydlekh pl., singular קניידל, kneydl; with numerous other transliterations), they resemble a matzah meal version of Knödel, bread dumplings popular throughout Central European and East European cuisine.[7][8][9]

Matzah balls are traditionally served in chicken soup and are a staple food on the Jewish holiday of Passover. However, they are not eaten during Passover by those who observe a prohibition on soaking matzah products.

The texture of matzah balls may be light or dense, depending on the recipe. Matzah balls made from some recipes float in soup; others sink.[10]

Transliterations of knaidel

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Although there are official transliterations of Yiddish words into English by the YIVO Institute, there are many non-standard transliterations.[1] Alternate transliterations of the Yiddish term for matzah ball, in the singular, include: knaidl,[11] knaidel,[1] kneidl,[12] and kneidel.[1] Transliterations in the plural include: knaidels,[13] knaidlach,[14] knaidelach,[15] kneidels,[16] kneidlach,[17] kneidelach,[5] kneydls,[18] kneydels,[19] and kneydlach.[4]

The various transliterations of the term gave rise to minor controversy in the United States in June 2013, when it was the winning word in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Thirteen-year-old Arvind Mahankali of New York spelled "knaidel" correctly in accordance with Webster's Third New International Dictionary, the official dictionary of the Bee, to become the champion.[1] However, there was controversy whether that was the definitive spelling of the term, with others preferring "knaydel", "kneydel", "knadel" or "kneidel".[1]

History

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An early recipe for matzoh ball soup, made with beef stock, is found in The Jewish manual, or, Practical information in Jewish and modern cookery (1846).[20] The exact origins of matzo balls, and the traditional matzo ball soup, are unknown.[21] Some historians posit that the copious amounts of matzo meal produced during the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century contributed to the popularity of the matzo ball, others believe that Jews used the leftover matzo breadcrumbs for soup additions.[22] It is believed that Jews began placing matzo balls in their soup as Eastern European cuisine began introducing dumplings in traditional foods, and Jews were adapting them to their dietary restrictions and culinary tastes.[23] German, Austrian, and Alsatian Jews were the first to prepare matzo balls for their soup; middle eastern Jews introduced additional variations.[22]

Preparation

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Simmering kneidlach

Schmaltz (chicken fat) imparts a distinctive flavour, but many modern cooks prefer vegetable oils or margarine.[6][24] The use of butter, while otherwise suitable, violates the Jewish law of kashrut prohibiting consumption of milk and meat products together, if the balls are eaten with chicken soup. A pareve variant uses vegetable broth as the soup base. The balls are dropped into a pot of salted boiling water or soup, then the heat turned down to a simmer and a lid placed on the pot. The balls swell during the cooking time of 20 to 30 minutes. Adding kosher baking powder for lightness is permissible, even for Passover (provided that one is not observant of prohibitions of gebrocht).[25]

While the recipe is simple, there are also ready matzah ball mixes, typically to be added to beaten egg.[26]

World records

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Bowl of matzah ball soup served on Passover
Bowl of matzah ball soup served on Passover

In 2008, Joey Chestnut held the world record for eating matzah balls: 78 of 3+1⁄2 ounces (99 g) in 8 minutes, at the Inaugural World Matzoh Ball Eating Championship, a charity event.[27]

In 2010, the world's largest matzah ball was prepared by Chef Jon Wirtis of Shlomo and Vito's New York City Delicatessen, located in Tucson, Arizona. He created a 426-pound (193 kg) matzah ball for New York's Jewish Food Festival. The ingredients were 125 pounds (57 kg) of matzah meal, 25 pounds (11 kg) of schmaltz, over 1,000 eggs and 20 pounds (9.1 kg) of potato starch.[28] This broke the previous record set by Chef Anthony Sylvestri of Noah's Ark Deli to raise awareness for a charity basketball game,[29] which weighed 267 pounds (121 kg) and was 29.2 inches (74 cm) long and was made from "1,000 eggs, 80 pounds of margarine, 200 pounds of matzah meal, and 20 pounds of chicken base".[30]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Berger, Joseph (1 June 2013). "Some Say the Spelling of a Winning Word Just Wasn't Kosher". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 June 2013.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ↑ Nathan, Joan (2011). Joan Nathan's Jewish Holiday Cookbook (ebook ed.). p. 12. ISBN 9780307777850.
  3. ↑ Durham, Michael S.; Shaw, Patricia; Hannafin, Matt (2009). National Geographic Traveler: New York (3rd ed.). National Geographic Books. p. 19. ISBN 9781426205231.
  4. 1 2 Wasserstein, Bernard (2012). On the Eve: The Jews of Europe Before the Second World War. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 89. ISBN 9781416594277.
  5. 1 2 3 Levy, Faye. 1,000 Jewish Recipes. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. RA2–PA27. ISBN 9780544176348.
  6. 1 2 3 Good Eating's Passover Recipes. Agate Digital. 2013. p. PT58. ISBN 9781572844490.
  7. ↑ Winger, Anna (9 April 2006). "Ghosts of Passovers Past". The New York Times Magazine. Archived from the original on 18 September 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023. You would think it would be easy to pull together a Seder in Berlin, since many typically Jewish foods are mainstream German fare too: potato pancakes with applesauce, poppy-seed cake, rye bread. Sauerbraten looks and tastes a lot like brisket. Even matzo balls bear a striking resemblance to Knödel, starchy balls that are usually served as a side dish with gravy. But the devil is in the details. Knödel, for instance, are made with bread.
  8. ↑ Glazer, Phyllis; Glazer, Miriyam (2011). The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking: 200 Seasonal Holiday Recipes & Their Traditions (ebook ed.). HarperCollins. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-06-204121-0. Retrieved 16 September 2023. Once asked on a radio show about the derivation of knaidlach, I explained that the original knaidlach were actually rock hard, and created by Azhkenazic housewives as a weapon of self-defence… The real origin of the knaidel, according to author John Cooper, is the south German Knödel, or dumpling—popular in German cuisine since the Middle Ages.
  9. ↑ Cooper, John (1993). Eat and be Satisfied: A Social History of Jewish Food. Jason Aronson. p. 155. ISBN 978-0-87668-316-3.
  10. ↑ Roman, Alison (2 April 2014). "How to Master Matzo Ball Soup". Bon Appétit. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  11. ↑ Cohen, Jayne (2008). Jewish Holiday Cooking: A Food Lover's Treasury of Classics and Improvisations. Wiley. p. 545. ISBN 9780471763871.
  12. ↑ The Taste of Shabbos: The Complete Sabbath Cookbook (2nd ed.). Feldheim Publishers. 1988. p. 55. ISBN 9780873064262.
  13. ↑ Bart Kancigor, Judy (2007). Cooking Jewish. New York: Workman Publishing Company. p. 65. ISBN 9780761135814.
  14. ↑ Marks, Gil (2006). The World of Jewish Cooking (paperback ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 254. ISBN 9780684835594.
  15. ↑ Kanter, Beth (2012). Washington, DC Chef's Table: Extraordinary Recipes from the Nation's Capital. Lyons Press. p. 70. ISBN 9780762781485.
  16. ↑ Lehman-Wilzig, Tami (2007). Passover Around the World. Kar-Ben Publishing. p. 32. ISBN 9780822588030 – via Internet Archive.
  17. ↑ The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day. Vol. 4. Funk and Wagnalls Company. 1912. p. 257.
  18. ↑ Patai, Raphael (2000). Apprentice in Budapest: Memories of a World That Is No More. Lexington Books. p. 156. ISBN 9780739102107.
  19. ↑ Plaut, Joshua Eli (2012). A Kosher Christmas. Rutgers University Press. p. 95. ISBN 9780813553818 – via Internet Archive.
  20. ↑ The Jewish Manual; or Practical Information in Jewish and Modern Cookery, with a Collection of Valuable Recipes & Hints Relating to the Toilette. London: T. & W. Boone. 1846. pp. 9–10. Retrieved 3 April 2021 – via Library of Congress.
  21. ↑ Levi, Yona (16 December 2018). "Where Does Matzah Ball Soup Come From?". Aish. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  22. 1 2 Sokol, Samantha (11 May 2016). "Matzah Ball Soup: History and Spelling Tests". Mapping Yiddish New York. Archived from the original on 18 September 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  23. ↑ Spicer, Jakki (16 March 2015). "What We Talk About When We Talk About Matzo Balls". Forward. Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  24. ↑ Koren, Zahava. "Vegetarian Fatfree Passover Recipes". Archived from the original on 18 September 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2006.
  25. ↑ Avey, Tori (25 March 2012). "Floater Matzo Ball Soup Recipe". Tori Avey. Archived from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  26. ↑ Goldfarb, Aviva (12 April 2011). "Speedy Quick Matzo Ball Soup". PBS Parents. Archived from the original on 14 April 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  27. ↑ Powers, Ted (6 March 2008). "Marvin: This ball's for you". Jewish Herald-Voice. Archived from the original on 18 September 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  28. ↑ Borowitz, Adam (8 November 2010). "Matzo-Ball History Has Been Made (Updated With Photo!)". Tucson Weekly. Archived from the original on 18 September 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  29. ↑ Rosenberg, Chloe; Boyle, Christina (8 August 2009). "World's biggest matzo ball unveiled in NYC: 267-pound ball gobbled up by hungry lower East Siders". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 18 September 2009. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  30. ↑ "Giant Matzah Ball Sets Guinness World Record". HuffPost. 6 September 2009. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
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