Cholent
Traditional slow-cooked Sabbath stew of Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine.
Cholent (also called Schalet, from the Yiddish טשאָלנט) is a Jewish Sabbath stew that cooks slowly over many hours. It was created by Ashkenazi Jews, first in France and later in Germany, and the earliest known mention of it by name comes from the 13th century. The dish is closely linked to the French cassoulet and is thought to have developed from hamin, a similar Sabbath stew that originated among Sephardic Jews in Spain and traveled to France through Provence.
The name likely comes from the Latin *calentem*, meaning "that which is hot," via Old French *chalant* (from *chaloir*, "to warm"). A common folk etymology says it comes from French *chaud* ("hot") and *lent* ("slow"). Another folk explanation traces it to the Hebrew word *sholen*, meaning "that rested overnight," referencing the custom of families placing their pots in a baker's always-hot oven to cook slowly through the night.
Sabbath stews were created to follow Jewish laws that forbid cooking on the Sabbath. The pot is brought to a boil before sunset on Friday and then kept on a hotplate, in a slow oven, or in an electric slow cooker until the next day. Cholent as a distinct Ashkenazi dish developed in medieval Europe, not directly from an ancient Judean barley porridge. The basic ingredients are meat, potatoes, beans, and barley, though all Sabbath stews include some grain and meat or a featured vegetable. Slow overnight cooking blends the flavors.
In traditional Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Mizrahi families, this stew is the hot main course of the midday Shabbat meal on Saturday, usually after morning synagogue services. Secular Jewish families also serve it or eat it in Israeli restaurants. Because lighting a fire and cooking are prohibited on Shabbat, all food must be prepared before sunset Friday. The first named mention of cholent comes from the 13th century, when Rabbi Yitzhak ben Moshe of Vienna wrote that he saw in France, in the home of his teacher Rabbi Yehuda bar Yitzhak, that sometimes their cholent pots were buried, and before the meal servants lit a fire near the cauldrons to warm them.
The stew’s origins go back to the 11th century, during the Christian Reconquista of Islamic Spain, when Moorish cooking techniques spread north into Europe through Provence. By the late 12th or early 13th century, the Sephardic Sabbath stew hamin h
- First mentioned
- 13th century
- Origin
- Ashkenazi Jews in France and Germany
- Related dish
- Hamin (Sephardic)
- Etymology
- From Latin calentem ('that which is hot') via Old French chalant
- Key ingredients
- Meat, potatoes, beans, barley
- Purpose
- Hot main course for Shabbat midday meal
Quick Facts
- Country
- France
- Creator
- Ashkenazi Jews
- Main Ingredient
- Whole grains, meat, beans, potatoes
- Variations
- Hamin
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Cholent was developed to conform with Jewish laws prohibiting cooking on the Sabbath. The pot is brought to a boil on Friday before the Sabbath begins and kept on a blech, hotplate, slow oven, or electric slow cooker until the following day. It originated as a distinct Ashkenazi dish in medieval Europe, not directly from an ancient Judean barley porridge. Over centuries various Jewish diaspora communities created their own variations based on local food resources and neighborhood influence.
Max Weinreich traces the etymology of cholent to the Latin present participle calentem, meaning 'that which is hot', via Old French chalant. A widely quoted folk etymology derives the word from French chaud ('hot') and lent ('slow'). Another folk etymology derives cholent from Hebr
Reader's Guide
Cholent holds significance as a central dish in Jewish Sabbath observance, allowing families to serve a hot meal on Saturday despite the prohibition of cooking on Shabbat. Its development reflects the adaptation of Jewish communities across Europe, from France and Germany to Eastern Europe, with local ingredients such as barley, spelt, potatoes, and various beans shaping regional variations. The dish is standard in both Ashkenazi and Sephardi kitchens, and its slow overnight cooking produces a characteristic taste that permeates the ingredients.
Cholent's legacy extends beyond religious practice; secular Jewish families also serve it or eat it in Israeli restaurants. The dish illustrates the interplay of Jewish law, culinary tradition, and local food resources over centuries. Its etymology, debated among scholars, highlights connections to Latin, Old French, and Hebrew, while its history traces back to Moorish Iberia and the spread of Sephardic hamin through Provence. Cholent remains a symbol of Jewish cultural continuity and adaptation, with variations continuing to evolve in modern kitchens.
Did You Know?
- Cholent is first mentioned by name in 1180 CE by R. Yitzhak ben Moshe of Vienna.
- The word cholent may derive from Latin calentem ('that which is hot') via Old French chalant.
- Originally made with fava beans, cholent later used dried haricot beans from the Americas after the 16th century.
- In some Romanian versions, chickpeas are added as a remnant of Sephardic influence from Ottoman control.
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