A traditional national food in Israel.

Placed on the tables of Israelis, on weekends and holidays.

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What is Challah?

A braided, airy bread with many holes, and with roots and a taste of ancient Jewish tradition. It's eaten only one day a week, anywhere on the globe where there's a concentration of Jews.

In Israel, the state of the Jewish people, it's an integral part of Israelis' way of life – religious, secular, and traditional – for one day a week. On this day, which begins with the arrival of Shabbat or the holiday – regular bread is removed from the table, and Challah takes its place.

 

More than any other food item, Challah is unique to the State of Israel.

On Shabbat and Jewish holidays, it's a staple – at family meals in almost every home, in IDF dining halls, in hotels across the country, or at gatherings of friends and acquaintances for a festive meal.

 

The attitude towards Challah and its place at the meal depends on where it's eaten.

In a religiously observant family, it's a mandatory item on the table. Like wine for Kiddush and like the lit candles that symbolize the sanctity of Shabbat. In these families' homes, a ceremony is held before eating it, led by a man, the head of the family or the host – after the man recites Kiddush over a cup of wine, the diners go to perform the ritual washing of hands (Netilat Yadayim), recite a special blessing, and then sit down at the table.

Then, the man holds the Challah, raises it into the air with both hands, and recites a special blessing. At its conclusion, he places the Challah back in its place, breaks off a small piece for himself, sprinkles a little salt on it, and tastes it. Immediately after, he breaks off additional pieces and distributes them to all the diners.

In traditional families, to varying degrees, they skip the religious ceremony in all its details, and immediately after Kiddush, they eat piece by piece, without slicing it with a knife.

 

Because Challah is considered a traditional folk food, and tradition doesn't adhere strictly to accepted rules of etiquette, it's placed on the table, and the diners pull off a small piece for themselves by hand, and eat. During the meal, one can dip the piece into soup or sauce placed on the table, just like scooping up hummus with bread, and even that dipping won't be considered impolite.

 

Even in secular families, Challah is on the table every weekend.

For them, it's not a matter of religious obligation but because it's the Israeli reality: on Fridays and holiday eves, there's no fresh bread in grocery stores. Not even pita or rolls. There are only Challahs. They are stacked in large quantities, on shelves or in bulk in boxes, which empty out completely. The little regular bread found on the shelves is leftover from previous days or unique types of bread with a long shelf life.

 

Challah comes in different shapes and flavors – with the taste of light and airy white bread or a sweet, cake-like taste. It can be rectangular, elliptical, or round, light or dark, made from white flour or whole wheat flour. It can be sliced or whole, with sesame seeds or poppy seeds, and recently it has been seen in various seasoned flavors.