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Farfel query

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General fitness, health and nutrition
Published
23 January 2005
Last activity
25 January 2005
Original author
LenS
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  1. Although I was raised in a Jewish household and enjoyed many "Jewish
    foods" that my mother prepared, like gefilte fish, chicken soup with
    knaidlach or kreplach, chopped liver, potato kugel, a sort of
    customized cholent, and matzo brei, we never had farfel. So when I
    noticed a display of Manischweitz Matzo Farfel in a store, I bought a
    box.

    According to the ingredient panel on the box, the contents were made
    of matzo flour (whatever that is) and water. It looks like crumbled
    matzo, but coarser than matzo meal.

    I asked my wife just what farfel was and how one prepared it. She had
    no idea what it was made of but did recall that her mother used to put
    it into chicken soup, but couldn't remember whether it was cooked or
    otherwise processed before being added.

    I dug out my schmaltz-stained copy of Sarah Kazden's "Love And
    Knishes" in which I found a recipe for making farfel and, I believe, a
    recipe for farfel kugel or somesuch dish, but no mention of other
    uses. The recipe called for eggs and flour only.

    Joan Nathan's "Jewish Holiday Cookbook" included a farfel kugel
    recipe, but no other comment on farfel.

    Online I did find a few recipes for farfel dishes including farfel
    kugel with apples, farfel muffins, and similar.

    So what do I want? I'd like to see some comment on farfel; how it's
    used (other than the baked goods), its history, anything to help a
    farfel-deprived but otherwise lovable septuagenarian.

    Thanks,

    -Len


  2. Quoted message said:

    Online I did find a few recipes for farfel dishes including farfel
    kugel with apples, farfel muffins, and similar.

    So what do I want? I'd like to see some comment on farfel; how it's
    used (other than the baked goods), its history, anything to help a
    farfel-deprived but otherwise lovable septuagenarian.

    Thanks,

    -Len

    What little I know about falafel is that it is:
    primarily coarsely ground and seasoned (cumin) chickpeas (garbonzo bean)
    usually formed into small balls or patties and fried
    topped with a sauce like yogurt-cucumber-dill

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falafel says:
    Falafel (Arabic: ?????; Hebrew: ?????) is a fried ball or patty of spiced
    bread, dating back to Biblical times and originated somewhere on the Indian
    subcontinent. Falafel is today eaten in India as well as in Pakistan and the
    Middle East. It is traditionally served with a yogurt sauce, as a sandwich
    in pita bread, or as an appetizer.

    Though its origin is uncertain, it is believed that it originally came from
    India, where it was made with spiced soured bread. The word "falafel" is
    actually an ancient Tamil word composed of three sections: Fa ("worked of,
    made of"😉, La (many, lots), Fel (bread crumbs).

    Falafel (at least the Middle Eastern style) is made from any combination of
    fava beans and/or chick peas. The Egyptian variation exclusively uses fava
    beans, while other variations may exclusively use chick peas. What makes
    falafel different from many other bean patties is the beans are not cooked
    prior to use. Instead they are soaked, possibly skinned, then ground with
    other ingredients and deep fried.

    Recent culinary trends have seen the triumph of the chickpea falafel over
    the fava bean falafel. Chickpea falafels are served across the Middle East,
    and popularized by expatriates of those countries living abroad. Israeli
    expatriates have played a crucial role in the popularization of the chickpea
    falafel across the western world, especially in the New York City
    Metropolitan Area

    Ashkenazic noodle "farfel, farfl" (from Middle High German varveln) is a
    different thing.

  3. In article <[email hidden]>,

    LenS said:

    So what do I want? I'd like to see some comment on farfel; how it's
    used (other than the baked goods), its history, anything to help a
    farfel-deprived but otherwise lovable septuagenarian.

    We basically use it for a sort of stuffing. First, we make gravy--rather
    different than a typical one, but the only one that tastes right to me.
    When we cook a turkey, we add two or three onions, three carrots, and
    (usually but not always) a stalk or two of celery. They're cut up into
    small pieces and cooked with the turkey. When the turkey is ready to be
    sliced, the vegetables are removed and put through a food mill or
    blender, adding enough of the juice from the pan to make it pourable
    (and/or to enable to blender to work with it). This mixture is cooked
    down in a small pot over a low flame until it's thicker (by
    evaporation), then the hot gravy is poured over a big bowl of farfel and
    served. Fabulous stuff; it gets finished very quickly.

    --
    to respond (OT only), change "spamless.invalid" to "optonline.net"

    <http://www.thecoffeefaq.com/>

  4. On Sat 22 Jan 2005 06:02:05p, Scott called across the abyss...

    Quoted message said:

    In article <[email hidden]>,

    LenS said:

    So what do I want? I'd like to see some comment on farfel; how it's
    used (other than the baked goods), its history, anything to help a
    farfel-deprived but otherwise lovable septuagenarian.

    We basically use it for a sort of stuffing. First, we make gravy--rather
    different than a typical one, but the only one that tastes right to me.
    When we cook a turkey, we add two or three onions, three carrots, and
    (usually but not always) a stalk or two of celery. They're cut up into
    small pieces and cooked with the turkey. When the turkey is ready to be
    sliced, the vegetables are removed and put through a food mill or
    blender, adding enough of the juice from the pan to make it pourable
    (and/or to enable to blender to work with it). This mixture is cooked
    down in a small pot over a low flame until it's thicker (by
    evaporation), then the hot gravy is poured over a big bowl of farfel and
    served. Fabulous stuff; it gets finished very quickly.

    Funny, I've eaten farfel before and like it, but I've never prepared
    anything using it. A couple of weeks ago I bought a box at the supermarket
    and it's just been sitting there waiting for me to figure out what to do.
    I think you just gave it to me! Although, I don't want a turkey just now,
    but a roasted chicken will suffice. I'll do the vegetables as suggested.

    Thanks,
    Wayne

  5. In article <[email hidden]>,

    LenS said:

    [snip]
    So what do I want? I'd like to see some comment on farfel; how it's
    used (other than the baked goods), its history, anything to help a
    farfel-deprived but otherwise lovable septuagenarian.

    My grandmother or my mother's side used to use farfel scrambled eggs. It
    was one of the few things Grandma Rose made that I disliked. I am not
    sure, but I think Grandma Rose just moistened a handful of farfel with
    milk and then just put it in a hot pan with butter and eggs and
    scrambled them over a medium flame. The reason I didn't like my
    grandma's eggs is simply because I am not a big fan of matzoh although I
    do like matzoh balls. Farfel is also a popular ingredient in stuffing in
    many Jewish homes.

  6. zuuum said:


    Quoted message said:

    Online I did find a few recipes for farfel dishes including farfel
    kugel with apples, farfel muffins, and similar.

    So what do I want? I'd like to see some comment on farfel; how it's
    used (other than the baked goods), its history, anything to help a
    farfel-deprived but otherwise lovable septuagenarian.

    Thanks,

    -Len

    What little I know about falafel is that it is:
    primarily coarsely ground and seasoned (cumin) chickpeas (garbonzo bean)
    usually formed into small balls or patties and fried
    topped with a sauce like yogurt-cucumber-dill

    LOL The poster was asking about farfel not felafel. Two very different
    foods.

    Quoted message said:


    <snip>

    Quoted message said:


    Ashkenazic noodle "farfel, farfl" (from Middle High German varveln) is a
    different thing.

    Yes that's what was being asked about.

  7. "Arri London" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    zuuum said:


    Quoted message said:

    Online I did find a few recipes for farfel dishes including farfel
    kugel with apples, farfel muffins, and similar.

    So what do I want? I'd like to see some comment on farfel; how it's
    used (other than the baked goods), its history, anything to help a
    farfel-deprived but otherwise lovable septuagenarian.

    Thanks,

    -Len

    What little I know about falafel is that it is:
    primarily coarsely ground and seasoned (cumin) chickpeas (garbonzo bean)
    usually formed into small balls or patties and fried
    topped with a sauce like yogurt-cucumber-dill

    LOL The poster was asking about farfel not felafel. Two very different
    foods.

    Quoted message said:


    <snip>

    Quoted message said:


    Ashkenazic noodle "farfel, farfl" (from Middle High German varveln) is a
    different thing.

    Yes that's what was being asked about.

    That's funny, I didn't even catch that, though it was referred to at the
    bottom of the same article.

  8. Arri London at [email hidden] wrote on 1/22/05 10:12 PM:

    Quoted message said:
    zuuum said:


    Quoted message said:

    Online I did find a few recipes for farfel dishes including farfel
    kugel with apples, farfel muffins, and similar.

    So what do I want? I'd like to see some comment on farfel; how it's
    used (other than the baked goods), its history, anything to help a
    farfel-deprived but otherwise lovable septuagenarian.

    Thanks,

    -Len

    What little I know about falafel is that it is:
    primarily coarsely ground and seasoned (cumin) chickpeas (garbonzo bean)
    usually formed into small balls or patties and fried
    topped with a sauce like yogurt-cucumber-dill

    LOL The poster was asking about farfel not felafel. Two very different
    foods.

    Quoted message said:


    <snip>

    Quoted message said:


    Ashkenazic noodle "farfel, farfl" (from Middle High German varveln) is a
    different thing.

    Yes that's what was being asked about.

    You know, I wondered how long it would take someone to point out that farfel
    could be either matzo or noodles.

    My aunt makes egg barley and mushrooms, but calls it "farfel".
    She also makes stuffing out of matzo farfel during Passover. Also kugels.

    Farfel means "little bits". You need a descriptor to know what kind of
    farfel it is, therefore what to do with it.

  9. Farfel used without any qualification usually means barley. Other kinds
    are egg farfel and matzo farfel. Egg farfel is a kind of pasta that,
    when cooked, somewhat resembles barley. It would not be kosher for
    Pesach (Passover). Matzo farfel would typically be kosher for Pesach.
    Farfel kugel is usually a barley kugel.

    -bwg

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