GRANDPA INDRELUNAS KUGELIS recipe - from the Campbell & Indrelunas Family Cookbook Family Cookbook (2024)

FAQs

What is Kugelis made of? ›

Kugelis, also known as bulvių plokštainis ("potato pie"), is a potato dish from Lithuania. Potatoes, bacon, milk, onions, and eggs are seasoned with salt and pepper and flavoured, for example with bay leaves and/or marjoram, then oven-baked. It is usually eaten with sour cream or pork rind with diced onions.

Kugelis, the food, was invented by the Jewish community and eventually became a traditional Lithuanian dish. In other countries, kugelis is made from flour and cooked in the oven in round pots (“kugeltopf”). In Lithuania, kugelis is made primarily from potatoes and bits of bacon, or “spirgučiai.”

While kugel is best fresh from the oven, you can freeze it, wrapped well, then reheat ovenight.

Cepelinai ( lit. Tooltip literal translation "zeppelins"; singular: cepelinas) or didžkukuliai are potato dumplings made from grated and riced potatoes and stuffed with ground meat, dry curd cheese or mushrooms. It has been described as a national dish of Lithuania, and is typically served as a main dish.

Kugels are a mainstay of festive meals in Ashkenazi Jewish homes, particularly on the Jewish Sabbath and other Jewish holidays or at a tish. Some Hasidic Jews believe that eating kugel on the Jewish Sabbath brings special spiritual blessings, particularly if that kugel was served on the table of a Hasidic Rebbe.

The name of the dish comes from the Yiddish word kugel meaning '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 the cholent, a traditional Shabbat stew, to cook alongside it and absorb its flavors for its later use as a side dish ...

For the predominantly Ashkenazi Jewish American community, kugel is still one of the most popular holiday staples. In Israel, many families call the pastry “kigel” (pronounced kee-ghel), the Galician way. Kugel is the Lithuanian version.

According to Vitalija Vasiliauskaitė, a specialist in ethnic culture, although this dish is often referred to as a Lithuanian national dish, it originated in Germany. The very name “cepelinai” – or “Zeppelin” – indicates that it is not a Lithuanian invention, she says.

"Most likely cepelinai (as well as the other potato dishes) have been developed and introduced by Lithuanian Jews who in [the] early 20th Century ran various motels and shops, and in food scarcity years (during and after WWI) potatoes were an inexpensive ingredient available all year round, which could feed many people ...

Koogle was a flavored peanut spread marketed by Kraft, introduced in 1971. It was available in several flavors, including chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla and banana.