Noodle kugel

Noodle kugel(לאָקשן־קוגל‎lokshen kugel, pronounced[ˈkʊɡl̩]), also known aslokshen kugelorkigel, is anAshkenazi Jewishcasserole that is traditionally served as a side dish and popular variety ofkugelmade withlokshennoodles and either a variety of dairy orpareveingredients, often served onShabbatandJewish holidays.
The name of the dish comes from theYiddishwordkugelmeaning 'sphere, globe, ball'; thus the Yiddish name likely originated as a reference to the round balls of dough that were placed in the center of thecholent, a traditionalShabbatstew, to cook alongside it and absorb its flavors for its later use as a side dish. The kugel later would evolve into its present form sometime in the 13th century CE.Due to differences amongYiddish dialects,Litvaks(Jews whose families formerly resided inLithuania, northeasternPolandandnorthern Russia) pronounce the name of the dish askugel, whileGalitzianers(Jews whose families formerly resided in southeastern Poland andwestern Ukraine) pronounce it askigel.
Though sweet noodle kugels predominate, there is a wide range of noodle kugel varieties ranging from sweet, slightly sweet, to savory. They may be baked in a largecasserole dishor in individual ramekins. Noodle kugels often contain raisins or other dried fruits, though some choose to omit these as a personal preference. They were traditionally either topped with a cinnamonstreuselor more commonly not topped at all, however beginning in the 20th century noodle kugels began to be topped with a variety of toppings including crushedcornflakes.
TheLithuanian Jews(also known as Litvaks) are known for their preference for dishes seasoned with a fair amount of salt and pepper and are said to be the progenitors of many of the savory noodle kugels, while thePolish Jews(those from southeastern Poland also known as Galitzianers) are known for their preference for sweet dishes and are said to be progenitors of many of the sweet noodle kugels. When the Jews fled antisemitic oppression andpogromsin Eastern Europe and found refuge inNorthAmericasince at least the 19th century, more Jews emigrated from Poland than Lithuania, which resulted in the Polish Jews and Galitzianers having a larger influence onAmerican Jewish cuisineand the later predominance of the sweet noodle kugel that would appear in North America.
Sweet noodle kugel is the most common variation of noodle kugel, and is frequently made at home by those in theJewishcommunity especially for variousJewish holidaysandShabbat. It is also a popular dish at variousJewish delisand restaurants.
Though some prefer their noodle kugels without any additional toppings, as they enjoy the traditional crispy top of the kugel, consisting of lokshen noodle poking through the surface of the kugel and getting crispy through the baking process, many also prefer their noodle kugel to be topped with a variety of toppings including various crushed cereals such ascornflakes.  Astreuselor crumb topping was first popularized by theGerman Jews. Jews in the American South top their noodle kugels with pecan pralines. Savory noodle kugels may be topped withbreadcrumbs, similar to amacaroni and cheese.
A cornflake topping for sweet noodle kugels, typically for those containing dairy ingredients and not pareve, was first popularized in the early 20th century in the United States as the confluence ofAmericanandAshkenaziJewish cuisine.  This topping is prepared by pulverizing cornflakes either by hand or with a food processor, and then mixing them with sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. The sweet noodle kugel is prepared and then the topping is placed either prior to baking or in the middle of the baking process.