Kichel ( yi, קיכל, plural kichlach , the diminutive of ''kukhn'' "cake") is a slightly sweet cracker or

cookie A cookie is a baked or cooked snack or dessert that is typically small, flat and sweet. It usually contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of oil, fat, or butter. It may include other ingredients such as raisins, oats, chocolate chips, ...

Jewish cuisine Jewish cuisine refers to the worldwide cooking traditions of the Jewish people. During its evolution over the course of many centuries, it has been shaped by Jewish dietary laws (''kashrut''), Jewish festivals and holidays, and traditions c ...

. Made from eggs, flour, and sugar, the dough is rolled out flat and cut into bow-tie shapes. Commercially prepared kichel are dry, bow-tie shaped pastries sprinkled with sugar. They are traditionally served at the kiddush in synagogues after Shabbat services and are also a popular dessert at

Rosh Hashanah Rosh HaShanah ( he, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, , literally "head of the year") is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , lit. "day of shouting/blasting") It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (, , ...

. Kichlach seem to have developed in central or eastern Europe in Ashkenazi Jewish communities by the nineteenth century and subsequently gained popularity around the world with the diaspora and migrations in the twentieth century. Kiddush in early twentieth-century Ashkenazi synagogues centered around kichlach,

pickled herring Pickled herring is a traditional way of preserving herring as food by pickling or curing. Most cured herring uses a two-step curing process: it is first cured with salt to extract water; then the salt is removed and the herring is brined in a ...

, and

schnapps Schnapps ( or ) or schnaps is a type of alcoholic beverage that may take several forms, including distilled fruit brandies, herbal liqueurs, infusions, and "flavored liqueurs" made by adding fruit syrups, spices, or artificial flavorings to ne ...

. Jews in South Africa still serve kichel with chopped herring, also a common practice in American synagogues until the 1950s. Kichlach are sometimes eaten with another kind of savoury dip or topping. Due to their light, airy texture, the cookies are sometimes called "nothings." Kichlach have a reputation for being a dry cookie and are often dipped in a hot beverage such as

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...

. When prepared with matzah meal rather than flour, kichlach can be consumed during the

Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month of Aviv, or spring. ...

holiday.

References

{{Reflist Israeli cuisine Cookies Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine South African cuisine Passover foods