cholent

Edit

Pronunciations

cholent (CHUH-lent) listen
cholent (CHOHW-lint) listen

Record a Pronunciation

Definitions

  • n. A slow-cooked stew made of beef, beans, potatoes, and other vegetables that is eaten on Shabbat.

Example Sentences

  • "Daniel makes his cholent with potatoes and beans."

Record a Sentence

Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • טשאָלנט tsholnt
    Originally from Old (Judeo-)French, chalent (warming), derived from Latin calentem, present participle of calere (be warm).

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education
      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa
      • Australia / New Zealand

      Dictionaries

      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).

      Alternative Spellings

      tchulent, chulent, tsholent, cholnt, kholent, kholnt, chulnt

Notes

  • Jewish law traditionally forbids cooking on the Sabbath, so observant Jews often prepare a slow-cooking dish before the Sabbath to be ready for the Sabbath lunch to have hot food.

    See also hamin, skhina, and adafina.

Edit     Something missing from this entry? Inaccurate? Feel free to suggest an edit.