We’ve talked about a lot of interesting foods and food events on Matt’s Meals, but the other night I think I encountered something truly different.
And while I’ve never seen it before, I do hope to experience it again!
For those of you who may not know, cholent is an ancient recipe for a stew that is traditionally cooked on a low heat throughout the entire Sabbath so that Jews can keep the commandment of not starting a fire during the Sabbath. It is traditionally made with meat, potatoes, and beans, but after that, family traditions take over and the recipes vary greatly.
As a means of building community, the Chabad Jewish Center of Needham recently hosted a cholent cook-off, at which Rabbi Mendy Krinsky and two of his ardent supporters each made their traditional recipes for cholent and invited guests were encouraged to try them all and then to vote for their favorite.
The rabbi’s wife, Chanie, also made potato kugel and delicious cookies. As with all great Jewish events, there were plenty of toasts called l’chayims.
Ever eager to impart wisdom, Rabbi Mendy not only explained the rabbinic roots of cholent but also the Jewish background of the Crockpot, which was apparently invented as a means of keeping cholent warm throughout the Sabbath.
While some of the guests were cholent newbies, even the more experienced eaters enjoyed comparing and contrasting the different recipes. At the end of the night, though, there was one ostensible winner, the real winners were everyone who attended this wonderful (and delicious!) community building event.
I myself was inspired to try my hand at cholent and I’ll be sure to keep everyone posted.