cholent

Pronunciations

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

Definitions

  • n. "A slow-cooked stew made of beef, beans, potatoes, and other vegetables. Cholent is a common Sabbath dish..." (JPS).

Example Sentences

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

Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • טשאָלנט tsholnt

    • 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

  • Originally from Old (Judeo-)French, chalent (warming), derived from Latin calentem, present participle of calere (be warm) (Steinmetz). 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 in order to have hot food. Similar dishes such as hamin and adafina are made by Sephardim.

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