Matzah ball
 Matzah balls in a bowl of soup |
|
| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Alternative name(s) | Kneydls |
| Details | |
| Type | Dumpling |
| Main ingredient(s) | Matzah meal, eggs, water, oil |
Matzah balls (Yiddish: קניידלעך kneydlekh pl., singular קניידל kneydl; also kneydls) are an Ashkenazi Jewish soup dumpling made from a mixture of matzah meal, eggs, water, and oil. Matzah balls are traditionally served in chicken soup. They are a staple food on Passover.
Schmaltz (chicken fat) imparts a distinctive flavor, but modern cooks now prefer vegetable oils or margarine.[1] The balls are dropped into a pot of salted boiling water or chicken soup. Keeping one's hands wet is vital when handling the sticky balls. The balls swell during the boiling time of approximately 20 minutes.
The texture of matzah balls may be light or dense, depending on the recipe and the skill of the cook. Matzah balls enthusiasts classify them as "floaters" or "sinkers."[citation needed]
[edit] World records
According to the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE), Joey Chestnut holds the world record for eating matzah balls; he ate 78 matzah balls in 8 minutes.[2]
The largest matzah ball prepared weighed 267 pounds (121 kg) and was 29.2 inches (74 cm) long. Setting the Guinness World Record, the ball was made from "1000 eggs, 80 pounds of margarine, 200 pounds of matzah meal, and 20 pounds of chicken base."[3] It was made by Chef Anthony Sylvestri of Noah's Ark Deli to raise awareness for a charity basketball game.[4]
In 2010, this record was broken by Chef Jon Wirtis of Shlomo and Vito’s New York Delicatessen, located in Tucson, Arizona. Wirtis created a 426 pound matzah ball for New York's Jewish Food Festival. The ingredients were 125 pounds of matzo meal, 25 pounds of schmaltz, over 1,000 eggs and 20 pounds of potato starch.[5]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Vegetarian Fatfree Passover Recipes
- ^ International Federation of Competitive Eating - IFOCE
- ^ Weiner, David (August 6, 2009). "Giant Matzah Ball Sets Guinness World Record". Huffington Post.
- ^ World's biggest matzo ball unveiled in NYC: 267-pound ball gobbled up by hungry lower East Siders
- ^ Matzo ball history has been made
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
