Yerushalmi Kugel: History and Recipe ירושלמי קוגל: היסטאריע און רעצעפט

A kugel with a Yerushalmi taste

Anyone who has been at a Shabbos morning kiddush in Yerushalayim knows what a piece of Yerushalmi kugel means: sweet from caramel, sharp from pepper, with a sour pickle on the side. The kugel comes from the old Jewish community of Jerusalem in the 18th century, and it is eaten on Shabbos and Yom Tov ^[1].

The history: from the Old Yishuv

It is said that Yerushalmi kugel was created in Jerusalem in the 18th century by the "Perushim", the Ashkenazi disciples of the Vilna Gaon ^[1]. Others write that the Chassidim of Eastern Europe, who began settling in Eretz Yisroel in the late 1700s, popularized it ^[2]. Either way, it is a dish of the Old Yishuv, and today it is a fixture of Ashkenazi cooking all over the world ^[1].

What makes it different from an ordinary lokshen kugel? Two things: caramelized sugar and black pepper, both less available in Europe ^[1]. It is always made with thin egg noodles, and it is pareve, with no dairy ^[1]. Traditionally it was prepared on Friday and baked overnight in a slow oven so it would be ready for kiddush ^[2]. And it is almost always served with pickles, so sweet, sour, salty and sharp meet in one bite ^[2].

What you need

A common recipe for 8 (following the Jewish Food Society recipe) ^[3]:

• 12 oz thin egg noodles
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons oil
• 1¼ cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 4 eggs

Step by step

1. Cook the noodles in salted water, rinse and drain, and toss with a spoon of oil so they don't stick ^[3].
2. In a heavy pan over medium heat, cook the sugar with ½ cup oil, stirring constantly, until the sugar melts and turns deep amber, about 10–15 minutes ^[3]. The oil and sugar never fully combine; that is normal. As soon as it turns deep amber, take it off the heat; any longer and it tastes burnt ^[2].
3. Quickly pour the caramel over the noodles and mix well. Let it cool about 10 minutes ^[3].
4. Beat the eggs with the pepper and salt and mix into the noodles ^[3].
5. A common way is to bake it in a greased round pan or a pan with a hole in the middle ^[1], at 350°F for about an hour, until brown and crisp on top. Some fry it instead in a hot pan, five to six minutes per side, for a deep caramelized crust ^[3].

A little tip

Pepper is the soul of this kugel, but everyone to his own taste. Try starting with less and add more next week. But without pepper and without a pickle, something is missing. Good Shabbos!