The Ashkenazim, or Ashkenazi Jews, are Jews of European and Russian origins, and their food has much in common with the food of the countries they had settled in, including Russia, Poland, and Germany. Our concept of Jewish food in America often refers to the food of Ashkenazi Jews, who came to America and opened Jewish delis. Classic dishes we all know and love are challah bread, kugel, bagels, knishes, gefilte fish, matzo ball soup, and the beetroot soup borscht, which lent its name to the famous “Borscht Belt,” where Jews in New York would go for vacation.
The cuisine of the Ashkenazim was often hearty and rustic, reflecting the lower-class origins of most Eastern European Jews. As many of the Jews in Eastern Europe had previously settled in Germany before it became a less friendly environment for them in the 13th century, German dishes such as pickles were brought with them, as were horseradish and rye bread. Some lesser eaten Ashkenazi foods are dying out today, as the chicken fat, known as schmaltz, and the stomach casings, known as derma, find few takers in younger, more health-conscious generations.
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