Kichel comes from the Yiddish diminutive of kukhn, meaning cake, and originates in Ashkenazi Jewish communities in Poland, Ukraine, and the surrounding region. It is pareve — made with oil rather than butter — which allows it to be served alongside both meat and dairy meals under kosher dietary law, a practical consideration that shaped the recipe directly. The bow tie shape is the most common form, though square and diamond cuts exist by region and by bakery. In some regional dialects it was called “Hosen Blosen” or “Nothings,” names that acknowledge the cookie’s essential weightlessness.

Its social context is specific: kichel was the kiddush cookie, set out on platters at Shabbat morning synagogue gatherings from Eastern Europe through the American Jewish diaspora. It appeared at simchas and shivas with equal frequency, a background presence at every communal table. Jewish immigrant memoirs describe it being sold alongside challah and babka at early twentieth century bakeries, and it remained a fixture of American Jewish bakeries through the mid-twentieth century before becoming harder to find. It is sometimes served alongside herring, a pairing that sounds unlikely and apparently works. The cookie is humble enough that it accommodates almost any context, which is probably why it lasted as long as it did.

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Regional Roots

• Ashkenazi Desserts