Y IDDIS H F O O D M O NTH
The UF Center for European Studies, the Isser and Rae Price
Judaica Library, and the Alexander Grass Chair are hosting a month long
celebration of Yiddish-Jewish Food involving a cholent recipe contest, a
speaker series and a cholent pot making project for Gainesville students.
What is cholent you ask? Cholent is a hearty stew of beans and meat that
is slow cooked overnight. Since all work including the lighting of fire (or
turning on of ovens) is prohibited on the Sabbath, the day of rest, Jewish
homemakers would prepare the sealed cholent pot on Friday.
Traditionally they sent it to the local baker’s ovens, which retained heat
for 24+ hours after the fires were put out. The cholent pot would be placed
in the oven on Friday before nightfall and could then be eaten the next day
on the Sabbath. On the Sabbath (Saturday) after prayers in the synagogue,
it was usually the children who were sent to the baker to collect the cholent
pot. It was very important that the children knew which cholent pot belonged
to the family so they could bring the correct meal home.
Cholent is a wonderful food for the celebration of Yiddish (Eastern
European Jewish) and Jewish culture because cholent recipes differ greatly
from community to community, reflecting the geographic and cultural
diversity of Jewish families across generations.
While the recipes may vary, cholent all over the world is associated with
the celebration of the religious holiday of Sabbath and the celebration of
family. It is a symbol of the warmth of the home, which is not specific to the
Jewish home but is important in every culture.
Wanderlust.
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