What Even Is A New York Knish?
When you think of classic baked goods, most people imagine sweet pastries drizzled with icing and containing a sugary filling. This is not the case with knishes, which traditionally feature savory fillings inside a tasty ball of perfectly prepared dough. Described as a Jewish comfort food by the Poughkeepsie Journal, knishes are synonymous with the Jewish experience, particularly in New York where they remain a much sought-after treat.
According to the Jewish Women's Archive, many of the two million Jewish people who emigrated from Eastern Europe during the late 19th and early 20th centuries called New York's Lower East Side home. While life in America was definitely an improvement over the persecution within their home countries, many immigrants still faced rough work conditions, inadequate housing, and low pay in the states. As a result, simple yet filling foods like knishes were an essential part of the immigrant diet, as they offered lots of sustenance in a relatively small package.
A traditional dish that is big on comfort
As explained by My Jewish Learning, knishes are a type of dumpling consisting of dough and savory filling. The dough is fried or baked until the exterior develops a nice crust with a soft, delectable center inside. Potato filling is most common, which is often seasoned with Kosher salt and pepper. Over time, bakers have added the traditional recipe, sometimes incorporating onions, cheese, and meat. Knishes can also contain kasha, which is a porridge typically made from rice, quinoa, or buckwheat according to Taste Atlas.
When it comes to the origins of the knish, The Jewish Chronicles explains that it first emerged in the 14th century after Jewish people were forced to leave France for the Ukraine. At this point in history, knishes contained meat as well as cabbage, which was surrounded in dough. A declaration imposed by Catherine I required potatoes to be included along with other crops, which eventually led to the recipe people know and love today. As for the knish in America, the baked good owes much of its appeal to an industrious immigrant and his flair for traditional Jewish cuisine.
How an NYC landmark contributed to the knish's popularity
While knishes may be a bit harder to come by in other areas of the country, they remain wildly popular in New York City. Their popularity has much to do with Yonah Schimmel's Knish Bakery, which is the oldest purveyor of these delicious treats according to The Times of Israel. This Lower East Side staple began as a food cart helmed by Schimmel, an immigrant from Romania, way back in 1890. Eventually evolving into a storefront, the current location has been pleasing the palates of customers since 1910. Much of this bakery's appeal has to do with its insistence on handcrafting baked goods and other items. And while the traditional knishes prove to be most popular with patrons, the menu offers a variety of new ingredients and recipes according to Yonah Schimmel's website.
But a quick search on TripAdvisor will lead you to a number of other places to get "the best" knish, like the Lido Kosher Deli on Long Island, or the Knish Nosh in Queens. And while you can get this pastry outside of New York, the question remains, is a knish still a knish if it's not a New York knish? Perhaps Laura Silver, author of "Knish: In search of the Jewish Soul Food," answers this question. She writes, "So ingrained was the knish in New York life that its name doubled as a litmus test for authentic New Yorker status," (via Forward).