Matzah ball

Matzah ballsormatzo ballsareAshkenazi Jewishsoup morsels made from a mixture ofmatzah meal, beaten eggs, water, and a fat, such as oil,margarine, orchicken fat. Known asknaidelinYiddish(Yiddish:קניידלעךkneydlekhpl., singularקניידלkneydl; with numerous other transliterations), they resemble a matzah meal version ofknödel, bread dumplings popular throughoutCentral EuropeanandEast European cuisine.
Matzah balls are traditionally served inchicken soupand are a staple food on the Jewish holiday ofPassover. However, they are not eaten during Passover by those who observea prohibition on soaking matzah products.
The texture of matzah balls may be light or dense, depending on the recipe. Matzah balls made from some recipes float in soup; others sink.
Although there are official transliterations ofYiddishwords into English by theYIVO Institute, there are many non-standard transliterations.Alternate transliterations of the Yiddish term formatzahball, in the singular, include: knaidl,knaidel,kneidl,and kneidel.Transliterations in the plural include: knaidels,knaidlach,knaidelach,kneidels,kneidlach,kneidelach,kneydls,kneydels,and kneydlach.
The various transliterations of the term gave rise to minor controversy in the United States in June 2013, when it was the winning word in theScripps National Spelling Bee. Thirteen-year-old Arvind Mahankali of New York spelled "knaidel" correctly in accordance withWebster's Third New International Dictionary, the official dictionary of the Bee, to become the champion.However, there was controversy whether that was the definitive spelling of the term, with others preferring "knaydel", "kneydel", "knadel" or "kneidel".
Seeknödelfor further information about the origin of the word and the food itself.
The exact origins of matzo balls, and the traditional matzo ball soup, are unknown.Some historians posit that the copious amounts of matzo meal produced during theIndustrial Revolutionin the 19th century, others believe that Jews used the crumbs leftover from matzo baking to produce the filling additions to their soup.It is believed that Jews began placing matzo balls in their soup asEastern European cuisinebegan introducingdumplingsin traditional foods, and Jews were adapting them to their dietary restrictions and culinary tastes.German, Austrian, and Alsatian Jews were the first to prepare matzo balls for their soup; middle eastern Jews introduced additional variations.An early recipe for matzoh ball soup, made with beef stock, is found inThe Jewish manual, or, Practical information in Jewish and modern cookery(1846).
Schmaltz(chicken fat) imparts a distinctive flavour, but many modern cooks prefer vegetable oils or margarine.The use of butter, while otherwise suitable, violates the Jewish law ofkashrutprohibiting consumption of milk and meat products together, if the balls are eaten withchicken soup.  Aparevevariant uses vegetable broth as the soup base.  The balls are dropped into a pot of salted boiling water or soup, then the heat turned down to a simmer and a lid placed on the pot. The balls swell during the cooking time of 20 to 30 minutes. Adding kosherbaking powderfor lightness is permissible, even forPassover.
While the recipe is simple, there are also ready matzah ball mixes, typically to be added to beaten egg.
In 2008,Joey Chestnutheld the world record for eating matzah balls: 78 of exactly3+1⁄2ounces (99 g) in 8 minutes, at the Inaugural World Matzoh Ball Eating Championship, a charity event.
In 2010, the world's largest matzah ball was prepared by Chef Jon Wirtis of Shlomo and Vito's New York City Delicatessen, located inTucson, Arizona. He created a 426-pound (193 kg) matzah ball for New York's Jewish Food Festival. The ingredients were 125 pounds (57 kg) of matzah meal, 25 pounds (11 kg) of schmaltz, over 1,000 eggs and 20 pounds (9.1 kg) of potato starch.This broke the previous record set by Chef Anthony Sylvestri of Noah's Ark Deli to raise awareness for a charitybasketballgame,which weighed 267 pounds (121 kg) and was 29.2 inches (74 cm) long and was made from "1,000 eggs, 80 pounds of margarine, 200 pounds of matzah meal, and 20 pounds of chicken base".