Ball (court)
The ball (also Kugl and Kigel , Yiddish קוגל, kugl ) is a traditional dish of Ashkenazi - Jewish cuisine , the preparation of which can resemble a casserole . There are sweet and savory versions of it. Kugel can be a side dish or dessert , it can be eaten warm or cold. The name comes from German and is supposed to refer to the round dumpling shape that was common in the past. Another interpretation is that the word is derived from the southern German Kuchl or Küchel .
The best known form is the Lokschenkugel , a casserole with noodles ( Yiddish : Lokschen ). It is heartily prepared with quark or sour cream and nutmeg , the sweet version lacks nutmeg and instead adds sugar, raisins and orange or lemon peel.
The potato ball , a kind of potato casserole , is also very well known .
As Kugelis , it is considered one of the most important recipes in Lithuanian cuisine .
The poet Heinrich Heine , who comes from a Jewish family, valued this dish very much and once described it in a letter as the “holy national dish ” of the Jews.
Kugel is traditionally eaten on Shabbat - Friday evening or Saturday lunchtime.
In Germany and Alsace, as well as parts of Switzerland, the dish Schalet is very similar to Kugel. In southern Germany the only difference was practically that Kugel was cooked hearty, while Schalet was sweet. The German potato dish, called Schales in the Rhineland , is said to have originated from potato balls. In Poland , Kugel was already prepared in casseroles or deep pans in the Middle Ages . There is also a version of Kugel that resembles a bread pudding .
literature
- Alan Davidson : The Oxford Companion to Food , 2nd ed. New York 2006, article Kugel