Kugel
Kugel is a baked casserole, most commonly made from egg noodles or shredded potato. It is a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish dish, often served on Sabbath and Jewish holidays. American Jews also serve it for Thanksgiving dinner. In Hungary it is known as "vargabéles" and served as a sweet dish.
Etymology
The name of the dish comes from the Middle High German kugel meaning 'sphere, globe, ball'; thus the Yiddish name likely originated as a reference to the round, puffed-up shape of the original dishes. However, nowadays kugel is often baked in square pans.In Yiddish, noodle and potato kugel are called לאָקשן קוגל lokshn kugl and קאַרטאָפל קוגל kartofl kugl, respectively. The name of the dish may also be spelled kigel, reflecting the Galitzianer Yiddish pronunciation.
History
The first kugels were made from bread and flour and were savory rather than sweet. About 800 years ago, Jewish cooks in Germany replaced bread mixtures with lokshen noodles or farfel. Eventually eggs were incorporated. The addition of cottage cheese and milk created a custard-like consistency common in today's dessert dishes. In Poland, Jewish homemakers added raisins, cinnamon and sweet curd cheese to noodle kugel recipes. In the late 19th century, Jerusalemites combined caramelized sugar and black pepper in a noodle kugel known as the Jerusalem kugel, which is a commonly served at Shabbat kiddushes and is a popular side dish served with cholent during Shabbat lunch.In Romania, this dish is called Budinca de macaroane or Baba acolo. It is made with or without cheese, but almost always includes raisins. In Transylvania, especially in the Hungarian-speaking regions, a very similar dish is called Vargabéles.
Savory kugel may be based on potatoes, matzah, cabbage, carrots, zucchini, spinach, or cheese.
Romani people call it pirogo. The Romani version is made with raisins, cream cheese, and butter.