View source for Rugelach

{{Short description|Pastry in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine}}
{{Infobox food
| name               = Rugelach
| image              = ChocolateRugelach.JPG
| caption            = Chocolate rugelach
| image_alt          = Chocolate rugelach
| country            = Jewish communities of [[Poland]]<ref name="sbs.com.au">{{cite web|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/rugelach|title=Rugelach|website=Food|date=10 November 2011|access-date=28 March 2019}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://www.heraldextra.com/lifestyles/rugelach-a-bite-sized-hanukkah-tradition/article_b060aa59-5368-5fd8-b6cb-55a1cebef9f1.html|title=Rugelach: A bite-sized Hanukkah tradition|first=CULINARY INSTITUTE OF|last=AMERICA|website=Daily Herald|access-date=28 March 2019|archive-date=28 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328052633/https://www.heraldextra.com/lifestyles/rugelach-a-bite-sized-hanukkah-tradition/article_b060aa59-5368-5fd8-b6cb-55a1cebef9f1.html}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jZzKWYUXKJEC&q=rugelach+poland&pg=PA262|title=The Good Cookie: Over 250 delicious recipes, from simple to sublime|first=Tish|last=Boyle|date=10 December 2007|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|isbn=978-0-544-18663-7|access-date=28 March 2019|via=Google Books}}</ref>
| region             = [[Central Europe]] and [[Israel]]
| national_cuisine   = [[Jewish cuisine]]
| creator            = [[Ashkenazi Jews]]
| course             = 
| type               = [[Pastry]]
| served             = 
| main_ingredient    = Dough: [[sour cream]] or [[cream cheese]]<br />Filling: any of [[raisins]], [[walnut]]s, [[cinnamon]], [[chocolate]], [[marzipan]], [[poppy seed]], or [[fruit preserve]]s
| variations         = 
| calories           = 
| other              = 
}}
[[File:Rugelach.jpg|thumb|right|Crescent-shaped rugelach]]
[[File:Blackberry Rugelach.jpg|thumb|right|Cut rugelach]]
'''Rugelach''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|r|uː|ɡ|əl|ə|x}} {{Respell|ROO|gəl|əkh}}; {{Langx|pl|rogaliki}}, {{Langx|yi|ראגעלעך}}, or {{langx|yi|רוגעלעך|translit=rugelekh}} and {{langx|he|רוגלך}} ''rōgalaḵ'')<ref>[https://milog.co.il/%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%92%D7%9C%D7%9A התקבלו 4 פירושים במילון לרוגלך]</ref> is a [[Pastry|filled baked confection]] originating in the [[History of the Jews in Poland|Jewish communities]] of [[Poland]].<ref name="sbs.com.au"/><ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto1"/> It has become a popular treat among Jews in the [[Jewish diaspora|diaspora]] and in [[Israel]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/amp/.premium-rugelach-israel-s-go-to-sweet-1.5313458|title = The Little Pastry That Could: How Rugelach Became Israel's Go to Sweet|newspaper = Haaretz}}</ref>

Traditional rugelach are shaped into a crescent by rolling a triangle of dough around a filling.<ref name="Nathan">Joan Nathan, [https://books.google.com/books?id=38xF7g37ZT0C&pg=PA284 Joan Nathan's Jewish Holiday Cookbook], Schocken, 2004; page 284.</ref><ref name="Fertig">Judith M. Fertig, [https://archive.org/details/allamericandesse0000fert/page/134 All American Desserts], Harvard Common Press, 2003; page 135.</ref>  Some sources state that the rugelach and the French [[croissant]] share a common [[Viennese cuisine|Viennese]] ancestor, crescent-shaped pastries commemorating the lifting of the Turkish siege,<ref name="Marks">[[Gil Marks]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=Ux2lGKCKVPYC&pg=PA326 The World of Jewish Cooking], Simon and Schuster, 1996; page 326.</ref> possibly a reference to the [[Battle of Vienna]] in 1683. This appears to be an [[urban legend]], however, as both the rugelach and its supposed ancestor, the [[Kipferl]], predate the Early Modern era, while the croissant in its modern form did not originate earlier than the 19th century (see [[viennoiserie]]). This leads many to believe that the croissant is simply a descendant of one of these two.

An alternative form is constructed much like a [[strudel]] or [[nut roll]], but unlike those, the rolled dough and filling are cut into slices before baking.<ref>Joseph Amendola and Nicole Rees, [https://books.google.com/books?id=Yz0mF7pXZ38C&pg=223 The Baker's Manual], Wiley, 2003; page 223.</ref>

==Etymology==
The origin of the word comes from the [[Polish language|Polish]] word rogaliki. The ''{{lang|yi-Latn|-ach}}'' ending ({{lang|yi|־ך}}) indicates plural, while the ''{{lang|yi-Latn|el}}'' ({{lang|yi|־ל}}) can be a diminutive, as, for example, ''{{lang|yi-Latn|shtetlekh}}'' ({{lang|yi|שטעטלעך}}, villages) is the plural of ''{{lang|yi-Latn|[[shtetl]]}}'' ({{lang|yi|שטעטל}}, village), the diminutive of ''{{lang|yi-Latn|shtot}}'' ({{lang|yi|שטאָט}}, town).  In this case, the root means something like "twist" so the translation would be "little twists," a reference to the shape of this [[pastry]].<ref name="Marks" />  In this context, note that ''{{lang|yi-Latn|rog}}'' ({{lang|yi|ראָג}}) means "corner" in Yiddish.<ref>Alexander Harkavy, [https://books.google.com/books?id=dnMVAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA312 A Dictionary of the Yiddish Language], 1898; page 312.</ref> In Polish, ''{{lang|pl|róg}}'' can mean "corner", but can also mean "horn" – both the kind on an animal and the musical instrument. Croissant-shaped pastries, which look like horns, are called ''{{lang|pl|rogale}}'' in Polish, see {{lang|pl|[[St. Martin's croissant|rogal świętomarciński]]}}. ''{{lang|pl|Rogale}}'' is almost identical in pronunciation and meaning to the Yiddish word ''{{lang|yi-Latn|rugelach}}''.

Alternatively, some assert that the root is ''{{lang|yi-Latn|rugel}}'', meaning "royal", possibly a reference to the taste.<ref>Lois Young-Tulin, Chapter 5: Mandelbrot, Rugelach and a Family Quilt, in ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=ZFdDPXB7eikC&pg=PA45 Jewish Mothers Tell their Stories]'', Hayworth Press, 2000; page 45</ref>  This explanation conflicts with Yiddish usage, where the word ''{{lang|yi-Latn|keniglich}}'' ({{lang|yi|קעניגליךּ}}) is the dominant word meaning "royal".<ref>Alexander Harkavy, [https://books.google.com/books?id=dnMVAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA308 A Dictionary of the Yiddish Language], 1898; page 308.</ref>

==Ingredients==
[[File:Israeli pastries.jpg|thumb|right|Rugelach and Israeli pastries]]
Rugelach can be made with [[sour cream]] or [[cream cheese]] doughs,<ref name="Nathan" /><ref name="Fertig" /><ref name="Marks" /> but there are also [[pareve]] variants (with no dairy ingredients),<ref name="Aish HaTorah">[https://books.google.com/books?id=FU95wXi_L78C&pg=PA118 The Taste of Shabbos], Aish HaTorah, 1987; page 118.</ref> so that it can be eaten with or after a meat meal and still be [[kosher]].  Cream cheese doughs are the most recent, while [[Baker's yeast|yeast]] [[Leavening agent|leavened]]<ref name="Aish HaTorah" /><ref>Judy Bart Kancigor, [https://books.google.com/books?id=c8YXwx08OFYC&pg=PA474 Cooking Jewish], Workman, 2007; page 474.</ref> and sour cream doughs<ref>[[Barbara Grunes]], Best-Ever Rugelach, [https://archive.org/details/bestbakesaleever0000grun/page/68 The Best Bake Sale Ever Cookbook], Raincoast Books, Vancouver, 2006; page 68.</ref><ref>Helene Siegel and Karen Gillingham, Ida's Rugelach, [https://books.google.com/books?id=i-YMAV8sYrkC&pg=PA74 Totally Cookies Cookbook], Celestial Arts Publishing, Berkeley, 1995; page 74.</ref> are much older.

The different fillings can include [[raisins]], [[walnut]]s, [[cinnamon]], [[chocolate]], [[marzipan]], [[poppy seed]], or [[fruit preserve]]s which are rolled up inside. [[Vanilla]]-filled rugelach have become popular in New York in recent decades.

In recent years, chefs have introduced savory versions of these pastries, filled with chicken and [[schmaltz]] or salmon and boursin cheese.<ref name ="Spiel">Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, "The Whole Spiel: Funny essays about digital nudniks, seder selfies and chicken soup memories," Incompra Press, 2016; p. 126. {{ISBN|978-0-69272625-9}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Food|
}}
{{Portal|Israel}}
* [[Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine]]
* [[Israeli cuisine]]
* [[Jewish cuisine]]
* [[American Jewish cuisine]]

=== Other crescent pastries and rolls ===

* [[Croissant]]
* [[Kifli]]

=== Other fruit-filled pastries ===

* [[Hamantash]]
* [[Bourekas]]
* [[Ma'amoul]]
* [[Kolach (cake)|Kolach]]
* [[Krantz cake]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

== Further  reading ==
* {{cite book|title=יידיש־ענגלישעס ווערטערבוך|last=Harkavy|first=Alexander|publisher=The author|year=1898|location=New York|trans-title=A dictionary of the Yiddish language ...: With a treatise on Yiddish reading, orthography and dialectal variations|oclc=19310482}}
* {{cite book|title=George Lang's cuisine of Hungary|last=Lang|first=George|publisher=Atheneum|year=1982|location=New York}}
* {{cite book|title=The Jewish cookbook international cooking according to the Jewish dietary laws|last=Grosberg Bellin|first=Mildred|publisher=New York Bloch|year=1983|isbn=978-0-8197-0058-2|oclc=614538635}}
* {{cite book|title=A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language|last=Klein|first=Ernest David|publisher=Macmillan|year=1987|isbn=978-0-02-917431-9|language=he|oclc=462199426}}
* {{cite book|title=The Taste of Shabbos: the complete Sabbath cookbook|year=1988|location=Jerusalem |publisher=Feldheim Publishers|oclc=33036781|author=Aish HaTorah Women's Organization}}
* {{cite book|title=Totally Cookies Cookbook|last2=Gillingham|first2=Karen|publisher=Celestial Arts Publishing|year=1995|isbn=978-0-89087-757-9|location=Berkeley, CA|oclc=32312778|first1=Helene|last1=Siegel}}
* {{cite book|title=Food and Drink in Medieval Poland: Rediscovering a Cuisine of the Past|last2=Thomas|first2=Magdalena|last3=Weaver|first3=William Woys|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|year=1999|location=Philadelphia|first1=Maria|last1=Dembinska}}
* {{cite book|title=The World of Jewish Cooking|publisher=Simon and Schuster|year=1996|isbn=978-0-684-82491-8|edition=1st paperback|oclc=34690573|author=Gil Marks|url=https://archive.org/details/worldofjewishcoo00mark}}
* {{cite web |last1=Olver |first1=Lynne |author1-link=Lynne Olver |title=history notes{{mdash}}cookies, crackers & biscuits |url=http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodcookies.html##rugelach |website=[[The Food Timeline]] |access-date=January 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717061521/http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodcookies.html/##rugelach |archive-date=July 17, 2012 |date=June 24, 2012 }}
* {{cite book|title=All-American Desserts: 400 Star-Spangled, Razzle-Dazzle recipes for America's best loved desserts|url=https://archive.org/details/allamericandesse0000fert|url-access=registration|last=Fertig|first=Judith M|publisher=Harvard Common Press|year=2003|isbn=978-1-299-89505-8|location=Boston, MA|oclc=785784600}}
* {{cite book|title=The baker's manual: 150 master formulas for baking|last2=Rees|first2=Nicole|publisher=Wiley|year=2003|isbn=978-0-471-40525-2|edition=5th (English)|oclc=50252009|first1=Joseph|last1=Amendola}}
* {{cite book|title=Joan Nathan's Jewish holiday cookbook: revised and updated on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the publication of The Jewish holiday kitchen|last=Nathan|first=Joan|publisher=Schocken Books|year=2004|isbn=978-0-8052-4217-1|oclc=9681693669|url=https://archive.org/details/joannathansjewis00nath}}
* {{cite book |title=Jewish food: the world at table |last=Goodman |first= Matthew |publisher= HarperCollins |year=2005 |location= New York}}
* {{cite book |title= Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family |last= Kancigor |first=Judy Bart |publisher= Workman |year=2007 |isbn= 978-0-7611-5965-0 |oclc= 966544227}}
* {{cite book|title=The Best Bake Sale Ever Cookbook|publisher=Chronicle Books |isbn= 978-1-4521-2267-0 |author-link= Barbara Grunes |author= Grunes, Barbara|date=19 October 2012 }}

==External links==
* {{cite web|last1=Goltz|first1=Eileen|title=Recipes for Shabbat: Rugalach|url=http://www.ou.org/shabbat/recipes/5764/vayigash64.htm|publisher=[[Orthodox Union]]|access-date=13 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130106012508/http://www.ou.org/shabbat/recipes/5764/vayigash64.htm|archive-date=6 January 2013|date=2003}}
* [http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodcookies.html#rugelach "Rugelach—Elsie Waldman's Recipe"] from ''The Jewish Cookbook'' by [[Mildred Grosberg Bellin]]

{{pastries}}
{{Jewish baked goods}}
{{Cuisine of Israel}}

[[Category:Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine]]
[[Category:Israeli pastries]]
[[Category:Jewish baked goods]]
[[Category:Pastries with poppy seeds]]
[[Category:Foods with jam]]