Challah

• Although all Jewish meals traditionally begin with breaking of the bread, Shabbat and holidays often call for a sweet, egg-rich bread called challah, or hallah. These special days most often include a gathering of family members, from which the heads of the household break and pass pieces to others at the table. By eating the bread, Jews believe they are gaining strength to serve God and therefore become spiritually nourished. The bread is typically twisted, but on Rosh Hashanah, it is served round to signify the cycle of life.
  
  

Bagels

• This doughnut-shaped bread might have been included in the Jewish diet as far back as 1610 in Poland. The bagel dough is boiled before it is baked to make it spongy on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside. It has been a staple of the Polish diet since the 16th century. Because Jews were not allowed to cook during the Sabbath, they often made bagels on Saturday evenings because they could be baked quickly. Bagels are still popular with Jewish and non-Jewish families today, often served with toppings such as lox, cream cheese and tomato.
  
  

Gefilte Fish

• Gefilte is a Yiddish word meaning "stuffed." The dish is white-fleshed freshwater fish, such as pike or carp, chopped up and formed into a ball or cake. It's typically also mixed in with small pieces of vegetables, such as carrot, celery and parsley and pasted together with eggs and matzah meal before being boiled in broth. It is often served with the Sabbath meal because fish is traditionally eaten on Shabbat. Gefilte fish's origin might have been in Europe. Fish is traditionally thought of as an aphrodisiac, so the hope was that after a Friday night meal of the gefilte dish, Jewish couples would "be fruitful and multiply."
  
  

Matzah Ball Soup

• Matzah balls are a type of dumpling served in a thin chicken broth. Matzah is an unleavened bread that ancient Jews brought with them when they escaped slavery in Egypt. It is typically served at Seder, which celebrates the Jewish exodus, because leavened bread is not allowed during the holiday.
  
  

Blintzes

• This crepe-type pancake is rolled around a filling, such as cottage cheese, mashed potatoes or fruit. They are typically fried in oil, which makes them a popular choice for Chanukkah, as well as the Shavu'ot meal. Shavu'ot is the Festival of Weeks, which celebrates the time when the first fruits were brought to the temple, and the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Recipes with dairy, such as cheese blintzes, are traditionally served during this time.