Matzah balls or matzo balls are soup morsels made from a mixture of matzah meal, beaten eggs, water, and a fat, such as oil, margarine, or schmaltz. Known as knaidel in Yiddish ( pl., singular ; with numerous other transliterations), they resemble a matzah meal version of Knödel, bread dumplings popular throughout Central European and East European cuisine.
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 gebrochts.
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.
Transliterations of knaidel
Although there are official transliterations of
Yiddish words into English by the
YIVO Institute, there are many non-standard transliterations.
Alternate transliterations of the Yiddish term for
matzah ball, in the singular, include: knaidl,
knaidel,
kneidl,
and kneidel.
Transliterations in the plural include: knaidels,
knaidlach,
knaidelach,
kneidels,
kneidlach,
kneidelach,
kneydls,
kneydels,
and kneydlach.
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.
See knödel for further information about the origin of the word and the food itself.
History
The exact origins of matzo balls, and the traditional matzo ball soup, are unknown.
Some historians posit that the copious amounts of matzo meal produced during the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century
Incomplete, others believe that Jews used the crumbs leftover from matzo baking to produce the filling additions to their soup.
It is believed that Jews began placing matzo balls in their soup as Eastern European cuisine began introducing
Dumpling in traditional foods, and Jews were adapting them to their dietary restrictions and culinary tastes.
German, Austrian, and Alsatian Jews were the first to prepare matzo balls for their soup; middle eastern Jews introduced additional variations.
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).
Preparation
Schmaltz (chicken fat) imparts a distinctive flavour, but many modern cooks prefer vegetable oils or margarine.
[ Vegetarian Fatfree Passover Recipes] 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.
While the recipe is simple, there are also ready matzah ball mixes, typically to be added to beaten egg.
World records
In 2008,
Joey Chestnut held the world record for eating matzah balls: 78 of exactly in 8 minutes, at the Inaugural World Matzoh Ball Eating Championship, a charity event.
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 matzah ball for New York's Jewish Food Festival. The ingredients were of matzah meal, of schmaltz, over 1,000 eggs and of potato starch.[ Matzo ball history has been made] This broke the previous record set by Chef Anthony Sylvestri of Noah's Ark Deli to raise awareness for a charity basketball game,[ World's biggest matzo ball unveiled in NYC: 267-pound ball gobbled up by hungry lower East Siders] which weighed and was long and was made from "1,000 eggs, 80 pounds of margarine, 200 pounds of matzah meal, and 20 pounds of chicken base".
See also
External links
