What Is Rugelach? (2024)

FAQs

What are rugelach made of? ›

Satiny soft dough made with butter, cream cheese, and sour cream wrapped around a filling of sugar, nuts, and dried fruit: that's rugelach, which in Yiddish means "little twists." Beloved in many Jewish communities, these cookies flake like a Danish or croissant with its buttery flavor the perfect foil for the sweet ...

Origins of Rugelach

Historically, Rugelach is said to be linked with the Viennese Kipfel, crescent shaped pastries which commemorate the lifting of the Turkish siege in the Battle of Vienna. Rugelach is also similar in shape to the French croissant, which may be a descendant of the popular sweet pastry.

The name rugelach means “l*ttle twists” or “l*ttle corners” in Yiddish, because of the shape of the pastry. Rugelach can be made with different kinds of dough, such as sour cream, cream cheese, or yeast.

In this case, the root means something like "twist" so the translation would be "little twists," a reference to the shape of this pastry. In this context, note that rog (ראָג) means "corner" in Yiddish.

However, while the croissant remained plain to be eaten with butter or cheese, the Rugelach was seen as more of a dessert pastry, being filled with an assortment of fruit jams or poppy seed pastes.

Rugelach and schnecken are the subject of much confusion in the world of Jewish baking. They are both treats made from the combination of cookie or yeast dough and are filled with different ingredients, like ground nuts, raisins, and jam.

In the early 20th century, American Jewish cooks took the concept of kipfel and added cream cheese to the dough, resulting in the delicious rugelach we know and love today. Rugelach are often served on Jewish holidays like Hanukkah and Shavuot, though of course they can (and should!) be made throughout the year.

“How many days will the rugelach stay fresh? I'm taking it back to the U.S.” Hi- It will stay fresh for a week or so at room temperature. If frozen, which is what I do when I bring it back to the states, it can stay fresh for months.

Because Judith saved the Jews from a death order, many Jews honor her by eating cheese and dairy dishes: rugelach, blintzes, cheesecake, cheese latkes, even sour cream on potato latkes.

Rugelach are a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish treat made from a sweet yeast dough folded over a filling of your choice. Although the American version uses Cream Cheese for the dough, these Israeli-style Rugelach are made from a yeasted enriched dough that is quite similar to a Babka.

What is the difference between babka and rugelach? ›

Babka is a yeast bread that is rolled with chocolate filling. Babaka usually made in a loaf pan as one cake. Cooks roll rugelach like croissants, creating a more individual dessert. The main differences between the two of them are their shape and the type of dough they use.

Like many Jewish-American specialties, babka originated in Eastern Europe – Poland and Ukraine in particular – in the early 1800s. As a way to use extra challah dough, Jews there would roll up the dough with cinnamon or fruit jam and bake it alongside the challah.

The crescent-shaped filled pastry made some tasty changes en route from Europe to the Middle East. Origins of rugelach, the favorite Jewish pastry, date back to the Hungarian kifli, Austrian kipfel and Polish rogal.

noun. , Jewish Cooking. , plural rug·e·lach. a bite-size pastry made by rolling a triangle of dough around a filling of jam, nuts, raisins, etc.

Now, when it comes to filling rugelach, you have options. Fillings can include cinnamon, sugar, nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, and jam. You can use a combination of these ingredients or pick what you like. Cinnamon and nuts are almost always involved.