Farfel (
Yiddish
Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...
: פֿאַרפֿל, ''farfl''; from
Middle High German
Middle High German (MHG; german: Mittelhochdeutsch (Mhd.)) is the term for the form of German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High German and into Early New High German. Hig ...
''varveln'') is small pellet- or flake-shaped
pasta
Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Rice flour, or legumes such as beans or lentils, ...
used in
Ashkenazi
Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...
Jewish cuisine. It is made from a
Jewish egg noodle dough and is frequently toasted before being cooked. It can be served in
soup
Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot (but may be cool or cold), that is made by combining ingredients of meat or vegetables with stock, milk, or water. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling soli ...
s or as a
side dish. In the United States, it can also be found pre-packaged as
egg barley.
During the Jewish holiday of
Passover
Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month of Aviv, or spring. ...
, when dietary laws pertaining to grains are observed, "
matzah farfel" takes the place of the egg noodle version. Matzah farfel is simply
matzah broken into small pieces.
The
Baal Shem Tov
Israel ben Eliezer (1698 – 22 May 1760), known as the Baal Shem Tov ( he, בעל שם טוב, ) or as the Besht, was a Jewish mystic and healer who is regarded as the founder of Hasidic Judaism. "Besht" is the acronym for Baal Shem Tov, which ...
, founder of the
Hasidic movement, is said to have eaten farfel every Friday night because the word was similar to the word ''farfaln'' which means "wiped out, over and finished". He considered the noodles symbolic of the end of the old week.
[Jewish Soul Food: Traditional Fare and What it Means, Carol Ungar, Brandeis University Press, 2005, pg 25]
See also
*
Ptitim
Israeli couscous ( he, פתיתים, , ), is toasted pasta in tiny balls, developed in Israel in the 1950s when rice was scarce due to austerity in Israel. Despite the name in English, it is not a type of couscous.
History
Ptitim was created in ...
(Israeli couscous)
*
Lokshen
*
Çorbalık kesme
Çorbalık kesme, corbalık kesme erişte or kare erişte are a traditional Turkish pasta made from flour, eggs, milk, and salt. They take the form of small squares or, in some regions, long thin strips (usually called by different names) simila ...
*
Tarhonya
''Tarhonya'' in Hungarian or ''tarhoňa'' in Slovak, is an egg-based noodle, often found in Hungary and Central Europe.
It probably originates from the influence of the Ottoman empire and Turkish cuisine and the term likely comes from ''tarh ...
References
External links
The Cook's Thesaurus: Crumbs(8th photo)
Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine
Jewish noodle dishes
Yiddish words and phrases
Types of pasta
{{Jewish-cuisine-stub