Laura's Creamy Vegan Noodle Kugel Recipe • Jewish Food Hero (2024)

FAQs

Why is kugel a Jewish food? ›

Kugels are a mainstay of festive meals in Ashkenazi Jewish homes, particularly on the Jewish Sabbath and other Jewish holidays or at a tish. 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.

A combination of noodles, eggs, cream cheese and more, kugel is a hallmark holiday food and has been passed down from my grandmother, to my father and then to my mother. Thanksgiving and Rosh Hashanah simply are not the holidays without homemade kugel.

Do You Eat Noodle Kugel Hot or Cold? While noodle kugel should be removed from the oven and cooled for at least 30 minutes after baking, it can be eaten at any temperature. Eaten warm, when just set, noodle kugel's texture is more akin to a baked mac and cheese (the extra-crunchy noodles on top might be the best part.)

Hailing from Germany, kugel is—at its core—a baked casserole with starch (usually noodles or potatoes), eggs and fat. While that's the base, kugels have many variations, from savory to sweet. The word kugel comes from German for sphere, which referred to the dumplings that made up the earliest version of the dish.

The name of the dish comes from the Yiddish word kugel meaning 'sphere, globe, ball'; thus the Yiddish name likely originated as a reference to the round balls of dough that were placed in the center of the cholent, a traditional Shabbat stew, to cook alongside it and absorb its flavors for its later use as a side dish ...

Jewish. Among religiously observant Jews, gefilte fish has become a traditional Shabbat food to avoid borer, which is one of the 39 activities prohibited on Shabbat outlined in the Shulchan Aruch.

Once it's baked, a kugel needs to cool, otherwise it will fall apart when slicing. Give it at least an hour to cool and set up, then slice and serve it warm or at room temperature.

In the end, here's how I'd describe our kugel: Just slightly sweet. Just slightly eggy. Definitely not diet food. Lots of surface area for crispy noodles.

Potato kugel keeps well in the refrigerator for four to five days, as long as it's covered. You can eat a cold slice right out of the fridge, or reheat it in a 350 F oven, uncovered so the top can crisp, until hot. Kugel will also freeze well.

Kugel is traditionally served as a side dish alongside something meaty like brisket or roast chicken. In this case it would normally be served warm, but it can also be refrigerated and eaten cold the next day. Sweeter versions can also be eaten hot or cold, and taste great with fresh cream or vanilla ice cream.

How long does noodle Kugel last in the fridge? ›

Storing leftover baked kugel: Let cool completely, cover tightly, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. How to freeze noodle kugel: Unbaked or baked, kugel should be tightly sealed in plastic wrap and again in foil. It will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight before baking or reheating.

„Kugel“: Femininum

ball bullet, pellet, shot sphere, globe bulb head thick flank roulette ball sphere shot, bowl, ball ball More translations... ball.

Central and Eastern Europe

Kugel / Origin

Central and Eastern Europe is a geopolitical term encompassing the countries in Northeast Europe, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Europe, usually meaning former communist states from the Eastern Bloc and Warsaw Pact in Europe, as well as from former Yugoslavia.

Wikipedia

Should you find a brick or two of old-fashioned farmer cheese, you can substitute it for the cottage cheese. It makes for a slightly firmer, milkier kugel with a mild tang. As for a topping, some kugel cooks like to sprinkle cornflakes, breadcrumbs or chopped nuts over the pudding.

The kugel was born in Eastern Europe as a leftover bread pastry with fat and eggs and only eight centuries ago evolved into the lokshen (noodle) kugel we know today. Rice kugels were invented in the 16th century thanks to Ottoman influences, and the popular Polish potato kugel showed up in the nineteenth century.

Thus, we have two remembrances of the manna during the Shabbat meal. One is the two loaves of challah that correspond to the double portion of manna we received on Fridays during our sojourn in the desert, and the other is the kugel, which corresponds to the manna we will eat after Moshiach comes.

Some also say that the tangled pasta of the noodle kugel specifically has been said to be a symbol of Jewish unity – from the Ashkenazi to the Mizrahi.