But what is Sabbath food? We have very few clues as to how Shabbat
was celebrated in Biblical time, except for a remark in the book of Nehemiah
(8:10) that on Sabbath, the Jews should eat fat and drink sweet (liquids)
- and celebrate the day with charity and joy. Although it captures the mood
of the day it is a very elusive clue to a day which, among the Orthodox,
is still celebrated with 3 meals - an opening meal on Friday night after the
Synagogue service; followed by early lunch on Saturday - after the morning
service, and then Se'udah Shlishit - a third meal eaten on Saturday afternoon.
Some communities also serve a fourth meal Melave Malka - (escorting Queen
Shabbat) on Saturday evening. One of the popular explanations for the
frequency and amount of food is that on the Sabbath every Jew gets
'neshama yetera' - an extra soul that descends from heaven and that this
soul needs feeding too.

As no work is allowed on the Sabbath, preparing this gargantuan amount
of food created a huge logistical problem - how to serve a hot dish on a
day when cooking and heating are not allowed. The universal solution was
Hamin, probably the only ancient Jewish dish that is still eaten today

Jews eat Hamin all over the world. The name might differ but the basic
technique remains the same. The Ashkenazi call it Chulent, cholent, or shalet.
Sephardi Jews call it Hamin (Hebrew), Haminado (Jedismo), Matphonia
(Kurdistan), Shahina and Deffina (North Africa), Haris (Yemenite) or Tabit
(Iraqi). Some of the names indicate a technique Deffina and Matphonia
come from the Hebrew root 'd-f-n' which means, "to press to the wall".
This alludes to the technique of sealing plastering the opening of the
oven with wet clay. Most of the other names originate from the Hebrew
word for hot (cham). The words Chulent or Shalet are probably derivations
from the old French word chald - in modern French chaud, warm or hot.
There is a charming if unlikely theory that the word cholent comes from
the Yiddish shul (synagogue) ende indicating the time the dish was
served, at the end of the synagogue service, Saturday lunch.

The exact origin of the dish, which the German poet Heine calls divine, is
unknown, though some say that its history goes as far back as ancient
Egypt, which is very likely. The same kind of technique is used all over
the world for it is based on a sound peasant logic which stems from profound
knowledge of how to use food and energy resources properly. One uses a
short burst of high heat to bring the dish to boil, after which the cooking
is done by the energy that remains in the oven after the fire has been
extinguished. Alternatively the boiling dish is covered with an insulating
layer, which keeps it at a constant temperature - the same technique is still
used in hay cooking.

The word Hamin is mentioned a few times in the Mishna and can mean either
hot water or hot food. A whole chapter (Shabbat 4) is dedicated to a detailed
discussion considering which materials are allowed for use as cover - dung,
lime & peat are not allowed because they produce heat, while wool, feathers
and pigeon wings are allowed. But for a clue of what Hamin contains we have
to go to Nedarim (6:5). In this chapter the sages discuses what makes a
dish meaty - is it only the meat that was cooked in the stew, or are the
eggs, onion and the gravy also considered meat? I would like to believe
that the described stew is the forbearer of today's Hamin.

The dish we eat today is basically a slow cooked stew of meat, legumes and
grain. To this basic formula a fascinating array of delicious puddings and
dumplings are added. These are added to starch the dish and make it as
substantial as possible. Although these can be rather heavy, part of the
charm of Hamin is its ability to give a warm, satisfying sleep inducing
'Saturday after lunch feeling' (Shabes nach tish).

Pascal Perez-Rubin in here book 'Israeli Flavours' (Pascal Perez Rubin,
Israeli Flavor, Ruth Sirkis, Israel 1987) observes that the main difference
between Sephardi and Ashkenazi Hamin is that in Europe the pulses used
are mainly beans (Bebalach) such as lima, navy or haricot beans, while
in the Sephardi Hamin chickpeas are used. Generally, this observation is
sound, yet some Ashkenazi communities especially in the Balkan countries,
Romania and southern Russia - where the Sephardi influence was present,
also used chickpeas in their Hamin. There are two more broad differences:
the Sephardi kitchen uses mostly whole-wheat grain and rice while the in
the Ashkenazi pearl and pot barley are customary.

As for the meats - the Ashkenazi use beef, duck, goose and schmaltz (fat),
the Sephardi - beef, mutton, chicken, mutton fat and oil. Because of the
length and genteelness of cooking, the meat used is cheap, gelatinous
and tough.

Yet the most favoured 'extensions', both in the East and the West, are the
numerous dumplings, stuffing and savoury croquets which are added to the
Hamin. Kurdish Jews prepare a special cracked wheat and semolina dumpling
stuffed with beef. The Moroccan Jews serve a wonderfully fragrant large
dumpling made with a mixture of ground nuts, mince meat - lamb, beef and
bread crumbs, favoured with sugar, black pepper, mace, ginger, cinnamon
and nutmeg.

There is no doubt that the most popular addition is a pudding made in a beef
casing (Derma) or stomach - the Jewish Haggis. In the East it is usually filled
with mincemeat and rice, flavoured with spices. In Central and Eastern Europe
the pudding is known as kishke and traditionally stuffed with a mixture of flour,
bread crumbs (matzo meal in Pesach), potatoes and raw chopped chicken,
goose or duck fat. It is usually flavoured only with salt and pepper although
parsley and dill are sometimes added. The same pudding is made from the
neck skin of chickens, duck or geese, in which case it is known as Helzel
(neck in Yiddish).

The inclusion of eggs, which is also mentioned in the Mishna, is essential
in Eastern and especially in Mediterranean Hamins. The eggs are supposed
to symbolize the continuous mourning for the destruction of the Temple.
Symbols apart, they were included to stretch the stew when meat was scarce.
The eggs are added raw and cook slowly, absorbing the flavour of the stew
and become brown and fragrant with a soft melting texture. They are so good
that there is a technique of making Huevos Haminados, not as a part of
the Hamin, but by slowly simmering eggs for few hours, preferably overnight
with onion skins, coffee grounds and oil. These are served by the Sephardi
community for Saturday, or during the week for breakfast, warm,
accompanied by pastries filled with cheese or spinach (borekas).

Related Recipes

Ashkenazi Cholent

Moroccan Hamin

Stuffed Aubergines

Other Recipes by Oded Schwartz

Toby's Kneidlach

Stuffed Leg of Lamb for Pesach

Masapan - Marzipan

Mixed Fruit Tzimmes

Stuffed Dates

Megadarra

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About the Author

Oded who is the author of seven books is best known for his
hugely popular cookery and food-related writing. Oded's first book
'In Search of Plenty - a history of Jewish food' (1992) was short-listed
for the British Andre' Simon award and won a special mention in the
international "Lenghe Ceretto Prize" for food and wine culture. He
now lives in Cape Town and contributes occasionally to Al'Hashulchan
(a leading Israeli food & dining magazine). He is still researching and
writing about the history and culture of Israeli & Jewish food.