Chili & Cholent

At the last Kiddush lunch, we had a delicious cholent, which led to some of the attendees asking me, what is cholent, and how is it different from stew, chili, or other similar dishes?  With our chili cook-off Share Shabbat this Shabbat, it seemed like an excellent time to explore a little bit of this Jewish culinary tradition with all of you.

Cholent is debatable in origin – but may come from France.  Sephardic cholent is characterized by containing chicken and chickpeas, whole vegetables such as eggplant, green peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini, which may be stuffed with rice, and often is spiced with cumin or hot peppers.  It is a bit thicker and an earthier heat.  Ashkenazi cholent is characterized by being made with beef (brisket) or poultry, onions, barley or wheat grains, and beans.  However, there are large variations in ingredients based on regional availability and personal preference.

The background you need to know comes from the rabbinic laws of observing Shabbat.  First, that one is not supposed to “cook” on Shabbat.  Second, that eating hot foods on Shabbat lies somewhere between a strongly recommended tradition and requirement, depending which source you consult.  Regarding the first piece, food must be cooked to the point of being edible before Shabbat officially begins (the extent of how cooked this means is debated, as per usual, in the Talmud), but can be left on an existing flame to stay warm, simmer, and become tastier before being eaten on Shabbat day.  Thus stew-type dishes became common for Shabbat lunch to fulfill the mitzvah of eating hot foods on Shabbat day and practically because they were a dish that didn’t get dried out or overcooked being left on a hot plate or slow-cooker overnight.  In fact, one source compared this to the manna in the desert – which normally would spoil overnight, except on Shabbat.  Some say that the manna tasted even better on Shabbat morning in stark contrast to the spoiling if left overnight other days.  Likewise, the cholent’s flavor improves the longer it stews.

So what’s the difference between cholent and chili or stew?  Reddit tells me that chili is “really chili con carne, is a spicy meat-based stew” which pretty closely resembles the Sephardic cholent.  However, I think what truly sets these dishes apart is the rules around Shabbat.  Since Jews couldn’t leave food on an open flame or tend to it – cholent specifically is left alone – generally no stirring, tasting as you go, etc. throughout the day.  It was a way to work with the laws of Shabbat and created an amazing tasty dish that makes your house smell wonderful.  And even for those of us who don’t observe the rabbinic-mandated laws of Shabbat as-is, it is still an excellent dish to connect to Jewish history and a really easy, no-fuss, meal for a busy family too!

Click Here for one recipe from My Jewish Learning, but there are countless ones out there that highlight different regional flavors – I challenge you to try one!