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| Alternative names | Kneieydl, knaidel or kneidel in singular. Kneydlech, knaidelech or kneidelech, or knaidlach in plural.[1] |
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| Type | Dumpling |
| Region or state | Ashkenazi Jewish areas of Central and Eastern Europe, with extensive history and cultural significance in Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Israel and theJewish diaspora[2][3][4] |
| Serving temperature | Temperature at which broth simmers[5][6] |
| Main ingredients | Matzah meal, egg, water, oil orschmaltz ormargarine[5][6] |
Matzah balls ormatzo balls areAshkenazi Jewish soup morsels made from a mixture ofmatzah meal, beaten eggs, water, and a fat, such as oil,margarine, orchicken fat. Known asknaidel inYiddish (Yiddish:קניידלעך,romanized: kneydlekh pl., singularקניידל,kneydl; with numerous other transliterations), they resemble a matzah meal version ofKnödel, bread dumplings popular throughoutCentral European andEast European cuisine.[7][8][9]
Matzah balls are traditionally served inchicken soup and are a staple food on the Jewish holiday ofPassover. However, they are not eaten during Passover by those who observea prohibition on soaking matzah products.
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.[10]
Although there are official transliterations ofYiddish words into English by theYIVO Institute, there are many non-standard transliterations.[1] Alternate transliterations of the Yiddish term formatzah ball, in the singular, include: knaidl,[11] knaidel,[1] kneidl,[12] and kneidel.[1] Transliterations in the plural include: knaidels,[13] knaidlach,[14] knaidelach,[15] kneidels,[16] kneidlach,[17] kneidelach,[5] kneydls,[18] kneydels,[19] and kneydlach.[4]
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 theScripps National Spelling Bee. Thirteen-year-old Arvind Mahankali of New York spelled "knaidel" correctly in accordance withWebster's Third New International Dictionary, the official dictionary of the Bee, to become the champion.[1] However, there was controversy whether that was the definitive spelling of the term, with others preferring "knaydel", "kneydel", "knadel" or "kneidel".[1]
An early recipe for matzoh ball soup, made with beef stock, is found inThe Jewish manual, or, Practical information in Jewish and modern cookery (1846).[20] The exact origins of matzo balls, and the traditional matzo ball soup, are unknown.[21] Some historians posit that the copious amounts of matzo meal produced during theIndustrial Revolution in the 19th century contributed to the popularity of the matzo ball, others believe that Jews used the leftover matzobreadcrumbs for soup additions.[22] It is believed that Jews began placing matzo balls in their soup asEastern European cuisine began introducingdumplings in traditional foods, and Jews were adapting them to their dietary restrictions and culinary tastes.[23] German, Austrian, and Alsatian Jews were the first to prepare matzo balls for their soup; middle eastern Jews introduced additional variations.[22]
Schmaltz (chicken fat) imparts a distinctive flavour, but many modern cooks prefer vegetable oils or margarine.[6][24] The use of butter, while otherwise suitable, violates the Jewish law ofkashrut prohibiting consumption of milk and meat products together, if the balls are eaten withchicken soup. Apareve 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 kosherbaking powder for lightness is permissible, even forPassover.[25]
While the recipe is simple, there are also ready matzah ball mixes, typically to be added to beaten egg.[26]
In 2008,Joey Chestnut held the world record for eating matzah balls: 78 of exactly3+1⁄2 ounces (99 g) in 8 minutes, at the Inaugural World Matzoh Ball Eating Championship, a charity event.[27]
In 2010, the world's largest matzah ball was prepared by Chef Jon Wirtis of Shlomo and Vito's New York City Delicatessen, located inTucson, Arizona. He created a 426-pound (193 kg) matzah ball for New York's Jewish Food Festival. The ingredients were 125 pounds (57 kg) of matzah meal, 25 pounds (11 kg) of schmaltz, over 1,000 eggs and 20 pounds (9.1 kg) of potato starch.[28] This broke the previous record set by Chef Anthony Sylvestri of Noah's Ark Deli to raise awareness for a charitybasketball game,[29] which weighed 267 pounds (121 kg) and was 29.2 inches (74 cm) long and was made from "1,000 eggs, 80 pounds of margarine, 200 pounds of matzah meal, and 20 pounds of chicken base".[30]
You would think it would be easy to pull together a Seder in Berlin, since many typically Jewish foods are mainstream German fare too: potato pancakes with applesauce, poppy-seed cake, rye bread. Sauerbraten looks and tastes a lot like brisket. Even matzo balls bear a striking resemblance to Knödel, starchy balls that are usually served as a side dish with gravy. But the devil is in the details. Knödel, for instance, are made with bread.
Once asked on a radio show about the derivation of knaidlach, I explained that the original knaidlach were actually rock hard, and created by Azhkenazic housewives as a weapon of self-defence… The real origin of the knaidel, according to author John Cooper, is the south German Knödel, or dumpling—popular in German cuisine since the Middle Ages.
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