Where Did Kreplach Come From?
Kreplach is essentially triangular-shaped dumplings that is often reffered to as the "Jewish Wonton" or the "Jewish Ravioli." The two most common ways of making them are by boiling, like pasta, and adding them to a soup or frying them. Kreplach is the plural form and krepel is the singular. The triangular shape is important because it is said to represent the three patriarchs of Judaism (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), three sections of the Jewish people (Kohanim, Levites, and Israelites), and three pilgrimage holidays.
Kreplach comes out on Yom Kippur, Hoshanah Rabbah, and Purim. Yom Kippur is the day that God judges us in terms of the upcoming year, Hashanah Rabbah is when the books of judgment are sealed, and Purim is when we celebrate Jewish people winning against the evil Haman. All three days revolve around the idea of judgment, but they also celebrate mercy. Kreplach is usually made from very finely chopped meat, signifying all of the beatings that one might “deserve.”
In the Kabbalah, meat represents strength and severity. Meat kills animals but gives life to humans. The dough represents a sustainable life that does not kill creatures, representing kindness. Kreplach juxtaposes those two ideas as the meat and dough are all in one bite. The meat filling represents the harshness of judgment, and the dough is mercy. When eating kreplach, we are wishing for forgiveness and mercy, but also acknowledging the things we did wrong.
The earliest form of kreplach was in the 12th century and went by krepish. It was thin dough wrapped around meat and fried. The name came from The Old French word crespe (curly/wrinkled), later fully evolving into the crepe. In the 16th century, eastern Europeans started making filled pasta as the Tatar incursions from Asia’s and Italy’s method of boiling food in water became known. This method was much cheaper than frying things in fat, which resulted in growing popularity. In Poland, we know them as pierogi, in Ukraine varenyky, and eastern Ashkanazis call them kreplach. It is believed that the kreplach officially originated in Germany due to records of Kalonymus ben Kalonymus, a notable Jewish scholar, moved from Rome to the Rhineland in the early 14th century, and ate strips of boiled dough with honey. Although the pasta was not in dumpling form, it proves that Italy and Germany had shared the invention of pasta, paving the way for kreplach to be born in Jewish Ghettos in Germany. It is also possible that German Jews who were in contact with Jews in Italy could have made pasta before it became popular in Germany.
Kreplach also became popular because it was a new way of eating all the leftovers! During the spring when there was not much meat, fruit and nut fillings, as well as soft cheeses, became popular. Other fillings include cabbage, kasha, mushroom, and in the mid-nineteenth century, potato filling became very popular.
Pictured above is my attempt at Shelby Butcher's cheese kreplach recipe. She notes that in Russia and Poland, Jews would prepare cheese kreplach served with fried onions, a dusting of sugar, and sometimes sour cream or perhaps a bit of jam.
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients lukewarm water, if necessary 2 large eggs 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 small egg salt and white pepper to taste 1 Tablespoon za'atar or other herb such as dill, parsley, chives, oregano 10 oz soft goat cheese (chevre), or other cheese of similar consistency goat cheese or sour cream or smetana 1-2 diced onions butter good plum jam (should be a little loose)
Directions Preparing the filling: In a large bowl, crumble in the cheese. Add the za’atar or other herb. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Taste and correct seasoning. Add a beaten egg and stir to combine.
Making the dough: On a large, clean flat surface (a wooden table would be good), make a hill of flour. Form a well in the center of the hill. Beat the eggs lightly and pour them into the well. Begin mixing the flour into the eggs with a fork. At some point, you’ll want to use your hands to mix the egg and flour. If the mixture appears dry, add a little lukewarm water (1 or 2 tablespoons). Knead the dough well, then let sit covered with a bowl or plastic wrap for 30 minutes.
Rolling the dough: Separate the dough into two parts, leaving one portion under the bowl. Take the other half and begin to flatten and stretch it a bit with your hands. Flour your surface and start rolling. You can use a pasta machine for this part. Roll the dough into an oblong shape rather than a circle. Be sure to move your dough frequently so that it doesn’t stick to the surface. Flour your surface just enough to keep the dough from sticking. You can patch any holes or cracks. Roll until you can’t roll anymore, and then roll a bit more. You want to get your dough as thin and smooth as possible. Remember, the pasta will absorb water and expand when cooked. Feel the thickness of your dough and try to imagine what it might taste like when cooked. If it tastes like a mouthful of dough, you need to keep rolling. When finished rolling, you might want to sprinkle a little water on the dough if it looks a bit dry.
Cutting the dough: Use a glass with a 3 inch diameter to cut circles of dough. Use a dull knife to help cut the dough if necessary. Try to minimize the space between each circle of dough so as to avoid excess scrap dough. When finished cutting the circles, collect the scraps and mush them into a ball. Place the ball under the bowl of resting dough.
Filling and shaping the dumplings: With a barely damp pastry brush, brush one circle with a little water, mostly around the edges. Place about a teaspoon of filling in the center of the circle. Bring one end of the dough over the other in a half circle sandwich of dough and filling. Use your fingers to press the edges of the dough from one edge of the semi-circle to the other, while gently smoothing out any air bubbles along the edge of the filling. Dance your fingers along the edges again to get a good seal.
You can stop here, or you can continue folding the edges tortellini style. To do this: o Brush a little water on one tip of the semi-circle. o Then gently wrap the tips over your forefinger, the wet tip under the dry one. o Use your thumb to squeeze the tips against your forefinger, sealing them together. o Remove your forefinger, and gently squish the tips the other way (vertically). Place the dumpling on a lightly floured plate. (I used two plates for my dumplings, simply to avoid the hassle of stacking them on top of each other, in case they stuck.) Repeat for the remaining dough circles. Take out the second piece of dough and follow the rolling, cutting, filling and shaping instructions. You can ball up and roll out the scraps too, or slice them into jagged, randomly shaped noodles. These can be cooked briefly before boiling the kreplach. Drain and slather with butter for snacking on while the kreplach cook.
Cooking the dumplings: In a large skillet, melt some butter and fry the chopped onions on a medium to low flame until golden brown. Boil heavily salted water for the dumplings. When the water is boiling gently, tip the plates of dumplings into the pot. Agitate the pot lightly so that the dumplings don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Cook until the kreplach float to the top. Remove the kreplach with a slotted spoon, draining the water. Top with fried onions, cheese or sour cream, and finally plum jam.
Comments