If you are shopping at a kosher supermarket, going to a Jewish deli, attending a Shabbat dinner at a friend’s house, or attending another Jewish holiday even, today we have a glossary of terms related to Jewish food and customs.
It is important to note that there are main lineages of Jews, Ashkenazic and Sephardic, and that historically led to very different styles of food, basic on local food and spice availability and cooking methods and techniques.
Ashkenazic Jews are comprised of those whose ancestors lived in Central and Eastern Europe (e.g., Germany, Poland, Romania, and Russia). The majority of Jews living in the United States are of Ashkenazi descent.
The Sephardim, or Sephardic Jews, are descendants from the Iberian Jews expelled from Spain and Portugal in the late 15th century. The Jewish communities in Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt are part of Spanish Jewish origin and they are counted as Sephardim.
Classic Jewish Food Ingredients and Dishes
Bhaba Ganoush: Mediterranean dip made of roasted, pureed eggplant. Also spelled as Babaghanouj or Babaganoush
Bulkas: Yeast round cinnamon buns generally made on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Lovely to make for tea all year round.
Bulgur Wheat: Cracked wheat. It is the main ingredient in tabbouleh.
Babka: A babka is a sweet braided bread or cake which originated in the Jewish communities of Poland and Ukraine. Often flavored with cinnamon and chocolate. Alternate version include lemon, cheese or fruit. It is popular in Israel and in the United states. Also known as Krantz cake.
Bagel: Circular bread with a hole in the center that originated in Poland. Dough is first boiled and then baked for a chewy interior and crispy exterior. Traditionally it is topped with cream cheese and lox. Together it is a perfect combination of chewy texture with a creamy and slightly salty flavor when eaten this way. Bagels are often used for sandwiches or toasted too. They are perhaps the most common Jewish food loved by all people.
Bamia: Libyan Jewish okra dish.
Bialy: A bagel-like roll, but with a matted finish. It has an indentation in the center instead of the hole in a bagel and it is typically stuffed with cooked onions. It is named for the city of Bialystok, where it originated.
Be sure to learn about what’s the difference between a bialy and a bagel? – people always ask this, so we wrote a good explainer!
Blintz: A thin, crepe-like pancake usually rolled up around fruit or sweet cheese. It is a relative of the Hungarian crepe known as palascinta.
Boureka: A savory Middle Eastern pastry wrapped in fillo dough. Small, half-moon-shaped pastries filled with cheese, spinach, eggplant, potato or meat. It is common to Jews of the Iberian Peninsula.
Borscht: An Eastern European soup containing beets and other vegetables. There are hot and cold versions. Served cold with sour cream/ordinary cream or hot with a plain boiled potato.
Brisket: A cut of meat from the breast of lower chest of beef.
Carciofi: An Italian word for artichokes. This is the star ingredient in a dish known as carciofi alla guidia, or Jewish-style artichokes. This is the only dish widely recognized as Jewish in Italy.
Carrot Tzimmes: This dish is basically a mixture of carrots and honey that is cooked over low heat and typically sweetened with honey or sugar. Often it is served at Rosh Hashanah when it is traditional to have sweet and honey-infused dishes in honor of the New Year. Sweet foods symbolize the wish for a good and sweet year ahead.
Challah: A sweet, brioche-like bread that is braided and topped in sesame seeds traditionally eaten as part of a Friday evening Shabbat dinner at the start of the Sabbath.
Charoset: The Ashkenazic version is a mixture of nuts, dates, apples, cinnamon, honey and wine. The Sephardic version is sweeter and is made of dried fruits and raisins. It is part of the Passover meal.
Chatzilim: A Mediterranean dip made from eggplant.
Chazeret: This is Romaine lettuce (bitter herb) on the Passover Seder Plate.
Cheese blintzes: A blintz is a paper-thin crepe filled with sweetened cheese and then pan fried until golden brown. They are traditionally served for Shavuot and sometimes other Jewish holidays, but people often eat them year round.
Cheese Cake: Cheese cakes are a common Jewish dessert. They are also traditionally made on the festival of Shavuot when only cheese and milk dishes are consumed per religious tradition.
Cholent: A slow-cooked stew, traditionally served for Shabbat lunch.
Chopped Liver (Gehakte Leber): The history of chopped liver goes back to Medieval Germany, where Ashkenazi Jews bred and raised geese and the very first Jewish chopped liver recipes were actually made from goose liver. Over time, Eastern European Jews began using chicken and beef livers and these recipes came across the ocean to the US when these immigrants came through Ellis Island in the late 1800’s. Chopped liver became very popular in New York and the east coast, a common staple in any serious Jewish Deli. It is often served as an appetizer for Jewish holidays.
Chrain: A spicy horseradish sauce used for topping gefilte fish.
Chremslach: Small thick pancakes or fritters made of potato or matzah meal. Often they are served to be more dessert-like, including ingredients like dried fruit and nuts.
Coconut Macaroons: Typically served as a Passover dessert since they don’t have flour in them.
Compote: An Eastern European dessert made of stewed fruits, dried or fresh.
Cous Cous: Moroccan dish of tiny semolina grains, commonly used in Sephardic dishes.
Dafina (D’Fina): This is the Sephardic version of cholent. Traditionally it is served for Shabbat Lunch. It consists of slow cooked meat, grains, vegetables, and eggs. It is enrichened with spices, and sweetened with dates and honey.
Egg Cream: A sweet drink made with seltzer, chocolate syrup and milk. Be sure to see our post about what is an egg cream?
Falafel: Fried chickpea fritters served throughout the Middle East and considered Israel’s national dish. Typically made with ground chick peas in Israel, but with ground fava beans elsewhere in the Middle East.
Farfel: Yiddish term derived from the German word “varveln.” This is a small pellet- or flake-shaped pasta used in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine. It is made from a Jewish egg noodle dough and is often toasted before being cooked. Typically it is added to soups or served as a side dish. During Passover when dietary laws pertaining to grains are observed, it is replaced with “matzah fearful” which is just matzah broken into small pieces.
Gedempte Flaisch: This phrase is Yiddish for Pot Roast. This is often referred to as Ashkenazic Pot Roast. You braise tougher, inexpensive cuts of meat like brisket, beef chuck or shoulder roast that are cooked for hours to soften. This technique is known as braising and a liquid with tomato paste is often used. Other ingredients used in the sauce often include sauteed onion, carrot, and celery, minced garlic, paprika, thyme, basil & stock or wine.
Gefilte Fish: Ground fish mixed with matzah meal and other ingredients (typically pike, carp and whitefish) and rolled into balls or longer cylinder shapes, which are then poached or boiled. Traditionally served on Passover and Shabbat.
Halvah: A Middle Eastern candy made from tahini (sesame paste).
Hamantaschen: Triangle-shaped pastries that are traditionally served on Purim. They are stuffed with jam, poppy seeds, cheese, honey or any other sweet filling. Traditionally they are eaten on Purim to remind us of the villain Haman in the Purim story.
Haminados: These are Sephardic hard-boiled eggs colored a deep russet with onion peels. Traditionally they are served at the Passover seder to remind us of the circular nature of life.
Herring: Traditionally, herring is preserved by either curing in brine or by pickling in vinegar. And in Jewish customs it is often served with onions. By itself it is salty so people often will put it on a bagel with cream cheese to balance the flavors.
Holishkes: This is a traditional Jewish cabbage roll dish prepared from blanched cabbage leaves wrapped in a parcel-like manner around minced meat and then simmered in tomato sauce. Sometimes rice is added to the meat filling. While the dish is eaten all year round, it is customarily served on Sukkot to symbolize a bountiful harvest, and on Simchat Torah because two stuffed cabbage rolls placed side by side resemble Torah scrolls. It is also referred to as holipches, huluptzes, prokes or gefilte kroit.
Hummus: Middle Eastern dip made of pureed chickpeas, tahini, garlic and lemon juice. Also used in wraps or other Mediterranean dishes.
Ingberlach:This is a traditional Jewish candy flavored with ginger and honey. Sometimes people add nuts or other ingredients. It is reminiscent of a sticky, chewy caramel popcorn cluster.
Gefilte Fish: Ground, deboned fish (usually whitefish, carp, pike and/or mullet), mixed with eggs, matzah meal, and other seasoning, which is then boiled or poached (but can also be baked). Traditionally served on Passover.
Gribenes: Crispy bits of fried chicken skin – typically found in schmaltz.
Kasha: Buckwheat or groats, prepared in a pilaf and often served with bow tie noodles. Try our lightened-up version.
Kebab: Chunks of marinated melted that is grilled on skewers. They are a very popular street food in Israel.
Kichels: Bow tie pastries that are fried and often sprinkled with sugar.
Kishke: A sausage-like dish, traditionally packed inside beef intestine.
Kneidlach: Yiddish term for matzah ball, which is a dumpling made of matzah meal, eggs and oil. It is typically served in chicken soup.
Knish: A savory Eastern European pie frequently stuffed with potato filling. Often includes meat and other vegetables. May be baked or deep fried.
Kreplach: A triangle-shaped dumpling, usually filled with either chicken or ground meat (liver and onions for example) and served in chicken soup. Often referred to as a Jewish Wonton or ravioli. Be sure to read our Complete Guide to Kreplach to learn more!
Krupnik: Polish word for barley soup.
Kubbeh: An Iraqi Jewish dumpling soup.
Kugel: A sweet or savory baked casserole. Typically made with some type of starch (often noodles or potatoes), eggs and a fat. Often served as part of a shabbat dinner. During Passover, matzo meal is substituted.
Labne: A thick yogurt-based cheese that is often served with breakfast in Israel.
Latke: A potato pancake that is traditionally served on Hanukkah. Traditionally it was fried in a pan in oil.
Lebneh: A home-made yogurt cheese that is common in the Middle East.
Lekach: A honey cake that is traditionally eaten on Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) as a tradition to welcome in a “sweet year.” Also it is often used to break the fast on Yom Kippur.
Lox: Smoked salmon. It is traditionally served on a bagel with cream cheese. And often present at Jewish events like Bar Mitzvahs. Read our complete guide to Lox to learn more!
Mandelbrot or Mandel Bread: Basically the Jewish version of biscotti. These are biscotti like cookies with almonds
Mandlen Crackers: These are crackers that float in soup. Ingredients used in making Soup Nuts may vary, but can include eggs, water, vegetable shortening or oil, and matzo meal used as flour. Some recipes sneak a bit of sugar and / or a small amount of potato starch into the recipe to make the crackers either chewier or sweeter. Seasoning is usually just salt and pepper, but herbs can be added, or garlic powder.
Matzah (Matzoh): A flat or unleavened wafer-like bread that is baked and often eaten over the Passover holiday in remembrance of when Jewish ancestors had to travel in the desert and did not have access to yeast which is a key ingredient used to make bread rise.
Matzah Ball: Dumplings made with matzah flour and cooked in a vegetable or chicken broth. Served typically in a clear broth. These are one of the most known and well-loved Jewish recipes served around the world. Also known as Knaidlach/Knaidlech (Yiddish term). Read our complete guide to matzoh ball soup here – you will learn something new!
Matzah Brei: A classic Passover breakfast dish of matzah and scrambled eggs. Depending on what else is added, it can be prepared to be sweet or savory.
Matzah Meal: Finely ground matzah bread which resembles coarse flour. It is used during Passover when yeast products and leavened breads are forbidden.
Perogen: Perogen is the Yiddish name for the more well-known Polish Pierogi. It is a Pastry filled with minced meat and served in soup.
Pita: Middle Eastern flat bread with a pocket. Typically used for sandwiches containing falafel or schwarma meat.
Pletzlach: A slightly chewy, tart sweet. Typically made with apricots and served as a sweet during a Passover meal.
Rugelach: A cookie usually made with a rich cream-cheese dough that is filled with jam, chocolate, honey, or nuts.
Sabich: An Iraqi Jewish sandwich containing fried eggplant, a hard-boiled egg, hummus and Israeli salad.
Salted Beef: Salt beef is a traditional part of Jewish cuisine. At its core it is a beef brisket, slow-cooked in a gently flavoured broth until it’s fall-apart tender. It is often served during Chanukah.
Schav: A Russian soup with a pungent, tangy kick from its main ingredient, a sour grass called sorrell.
Schmaltz: Rendered chicken (or other poultry) fat. Adds a rich flavor to dishes it is added to.
Shakshuka: North African egg-and-tomato dish.
Shawarma (also spelled shwarma): Spiced meat grilled on a vertical rotating spit. Often it is served in a pita or on a plate as a meal. This is popular throughout the Middle East, and often made with lamb and served with yogurt sauce. In Israel (and in kosher restaurants elsewhere), it is often made with turkey and served with tahini sauce.
Shmurah Matzah: Matzah which has been made from grain which was guarded from the time of either reaping or grinding to ensure that it never came into contact with water or other liquids, to prevent it from rising.
Soom Soon: Hebrew word for sesame seeds.
Streusel: A streusel is a sweetened topping, put on a challah or babka.
Sufganiot: Israeli doughnuts typically eaten on Chanukkah.
Tabouli (Tabbouleh): Cracked wheat salad typically made with parsley, tomatoes, cucumber, and mint.
Tahini (Tehina): Middle Eastern condiment made of ground sesame seeds. It is commonly used as a drizzle over falafel.
Teiglach: A ginger circular biscuit coated in very thick gingery syrup. It is served mainly on holidays. It originated in Russia and Lithuania.
Tzimmes: This term in Yiddish literally means “a fuss.” Tzimmes usually includes a medley of vegetables (typically root vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnip, carrots) which as slow simmered with prunes or other dried fruit. It is typically served at Rosh Hashanah for a sweet new year. A beef or brisket tzimmes can also be made using the above ingredients also.
Varnishkes: Bow-tie pasta (farfalle in Italian). Typically served with kasha.
Yoich: Yiddish term for chicken broth.
Zaatar: Israeli spice mixture used for seasoning meats and flat breads (pita).
Zeroah: Shank bone
Zhoug: Fiery Yemenite condiment made of ground hot peppers.
Terms Related to Jewish Customs, Jewish Dietary Laws (Kashrut) and Jewish Culture
Note: some of these terms are Hebrew and others are Yiddish terms
Basar: Any meat or meat products. Often referred to as Fleishig in Yiddish
Bentsching: Reciting Grace after Meals, or Birkat Hamazon
Bishul Yisroel or Bishul Yisrael: Applies to certain cooked foods for which a rabbinical supervisor has participated in the cooking process.
Bracha: A blessing
B’tayavon: Literally “in appetite,” used to convey “bon appetit.”
Chag Sameach: “A holiday greeting in Hebrew – typically used at the start of a religious holiday.
Cholov Yisroel: (aka Halav Yisrael) Dairy products produced by Jewish farmers under constant rabbinical supervision of the milking process. Some ultra-Orthodox Jews will only eat kosher dairy products that are also cholov yisroel, while others will eat any dairy products that are certified kosher.
Chometz: Literally means leaven, or the rising process in baking and bread making. Typically this occurs when yeast is included in the bread making process. Leavening or leavened bread, not permitted for Passover. Chometz may also be used to denote any product or utensil that is not kosher for Passover.
Ess: Yiddish and German word for “eat.” A common phrase is “Ess, ess already! Ess, mein kind.” This translates as “Eat, eat my child!”
Etrog (Esrog): This is the Hebrew word for citron, a rare citrus fruit that resembles a lemon, but with coarser skin. Used in the festival of Sukkot.
Fleishig: This is derived from the Yiddish term for meat “fleish.” It is used as a colloquial term to denote meat and poultry products/foods or dishes and utensils used to consume these foods. Jewish dietary laws prohibit combining meat and dairy foods. Kosher households will have 2 sets of dishes for this reason.
Fress: A yiddish term meaning to eat voraciously and gorge oneself.
Glatt: Glatt is a yiddish word meaning smooth. It refers here to a type of kosher meat in which the animal’s lungs were smooth, without any adhesions that could potentially prohibit the animal as unkosher. This only applies to beef and not to fowl or non-meat products. Food that meats this standard will typically be labeled as “Glatt Kosher.” Religious Jews will typically only consume meat that is Glatt since it is the strictest level of kosher food preparation.
Halacha: Often translated as “the path one walks” in the context of an observant jew who is following the complete body of rules and practices that Jews are bound to follow, including biblical commandments, directives of the Rabbis, and binding customs.
Hamotzi : Blessing said over bread. On Shabbat the Hamotzi is usually said over challah.
Havdalah: A ceremony that marks the end of Shabbat and welcomes the next week
Hechsher: Written certification of kashruth signed by a Rabbi, Vaad HaKashruth (council for kashruth supervision) or seal of a recognized kashruth-certifying agency. This food label helps to identify the product as being compliant with Jewish law.
Kasher: Means to “make Kosher.” Typically applied to the salting and soaking procedures used in the production of kosher meat and poultry. Also used to describe the procedure for preparing and cleaning a non-kosher facility so that it may be used for preparing kosher food.
Keilim: Vessels or utensils. These can be categorized into three halachic groupings: utensils requiring tevila (immersion) with a brocha, utensils requiring tevila without a brocha, and utensils not requiring tevila at all.
Kosher: Literally “fit, proper or correct.” In a food context, it designates food that has been prepared and complies with all the Jewish dietary laws and approved by a rabbi. Often Kosher is used to generally refer to the set of Jewish religious dietary laws. And it is also used to refer to a kosher kitchen, dishes or cookware. Alternate spellings: Kashruth, Kashrut, or Kashrus.
Kosher: Some who keeps kosher, adhere to kashrut, the traditional Jewish dietary laws.
Kosher for Passover/Kosher for Pesach: In addition to meeting the year-round requirements for kosher, the food product also meets the Passover dietary laws, which prohibit the use of leavened grain products.
Koshering: The process of changing the status of a factory or equipment which had been used with non-kosher ingredients or products, to use with kosher ingredients or products. Also referred to as “kosherization.”
Mashgiach: Refers to the Rabbinical Inspector/kashrut supervisor that inspects and supervises Kosher production and ensures that a product or restaurant can be certified as kosher.
Mehadrin: The most stringent level of kosher supervision.
Mevushal: A Kosher wine that has been cooked. When kosher wine is mevushal (Hebrew for “cooked” or “boiled”), it thereby becomes unfit for idolatrous use and will keep the status of kosher wine even if subsequently touched by a someone who is not Jewish or not a religious Jew. So it can be poured by a non-observant waiter for example.
Milchig (Milchick): A Yiddish term for dairy products, utensils and equipment. Jewish dietary laws prohibit combining meat and dairy foods, so dishes, utensils and equipment for these products are kept separate. In this context, Milchig describes food containing dairy, or dishes, utensils and equipment used for foods containing dairy.
Nosh: To snack. This is a funny Jewish term that has entered the cultural lexicon and is often used by people who are unaware it is a Yiddish term!
Pareve: A term indicating that a food does not contain either meat, poultry or dairy, and can therefore be eaten with all types of kosher ingredients. Pareve items include all fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, eggs and kosher fish.
Pas Yisroel: Bread or cake that is baked by a Jewish person.
Pessadik or Pesachdik: An adjective meaning kosher for Passover.
Potchke: To fuss, or mess around, as in “I was potchke-ing around in the kitchen, when I came up with this recipe.”
Schmear: A generous spread, usually used to refer to an ample portion of cream cheese applied to a bagel.
Sephardim: Refers to all Jews who are not from Eastern and Central Europe. “Sepharad” means Spain in Hebrew. The term originally referred to Jews from Spain and their descendants who lived in Greece, Turkey, and other Mediterranean countries after the expulsion in 1492. Today it is generally used to refer to the Jewish peoplewho originated in Spain and Portugal as well as Jews of Arabic and Persian backgrounds.
Shabbos/Shabbat: The Jewish Sabbath which occurs on Saturday. The seventh day of the week according to the Hebrew Calendar which is considered the day of rest. The Sabbath begins on Friday evening at sundown and ends on Saturday evening at Sundown. During the Sabbath, observers refrain from all work activities including the use of all modes of transport, electronics and telephones.
Shalom: The equivalent of “Salaam” in Arabic, this Hebrew word means “peace”.
Shabbat Shalom: A Hebrew greeting meaning “peaceful Sabbath” and used as a greeting during the Sabbath
Shochet: Kosher butcher.
Shechita: The prescribed manner of killing animals or fowl for consumption, as outlined in the Torah.
Shochet: A person authorized to slaughter kosher meat and poultry according to the Jewish tradition.
Traiboring: The process of removing forbidden fats and veins from meat to prepare for the “koshering” salting process.
Treife (treyf): A term generally indicating that a particular food is not kosher.
Zemirot: Songs sung at the Shabbat table.
My name is Jay and I started this website to share my love of Deli Food. I am Jewish with Italian ancestry and grandparents who emigrated to the US from Poland, Russia and Turkey. This website is my celebration of the delicious flavors of international deli culture. Please feel free to send me your suggestions and feedback through the contact form.