Above Left: A cast bronze cholent pot from Germany, circa 1708, with the name of the family embossed on the pot, from the collection of The Jewish Museum, Jerusalem, on loan from the Jewish Museum of New York Above Right: Bialystock, Poland Nov 20,1932 Bringing pots of shabbos cholent to a baker’s oven on friday afternoon. Photo courtesy of YIVO Polish Jewish archive
Slow cooking is part of a culinary culture that’s been around for centuries, and is in fact a huge part of Jewish culture, and specifically the Shabbat day meal, in Jewish homes around the world. Because cooking and baking are forbidden on Shabbat, special Shabbat dishes are cooked on Friday and kept hot overnight to be eaten on Saturday morning/afternoon. Cholent, (called Hamin or Dafina by Sephardic Jews) a meat stew of sorts simmered overnight, has been eaten on Shabbat in all Jewish communities since the days of the Mishnah. In many cases families would place their pot in a baker’s oven before Shabbat and retrieve it when it was time to eat. Since the oven served the entire community, it was important to identify the owners of each pot, and often their names were engraved on the pot, as seen in the photo above. Today, with the advent of electricity and gas in our homes, we either plug in a warming tray before shabbat, or use a gas flame covered with a sheet of metal on the stove top to slow cook food (that is already 50% cooked before Shabbat) to be eaten the next day. We even have home appliances and electronics for slow cooking like crock pots. They come in different styles and features. Crock pot sizes and compatibility depends on how you want to use it and what fits your daily cooking routine.
Of course, slow cooking can also be employed anytime, as It’s hassle-free and a great way to prepare food the night before or in the morning so you can get home after work, and serve a meal without having to spend hours cooking. Slow-cooked food is rich in flavor and nutrition and because the preparation is ahead time, and likely less rushed, it gives us an excellent opportunity to actually enjoy the process of making the meal. In this day and age, everything is faster, from our busy lives to the food we eat. Slowing down is great for both our bodies and our minds.
Okay, lets learn some more about how to go about slow cooking and some options for including it in your weekly meal plans!