edelson@mhuxi.UUCP (edelson) (04/06/84)
The idea that Scott Barman proposes that a Knish is a food analog of a ravioli doesnt quite hold up. Knish dough is flaky (almost like fillo or puff pastry) and is baked while the ravioli, kreplach, pirogi etc. is a pasta or noodle dough which is boiled. Fillings for Knishes include potato (the classic), meat (especially liver), cabbage, mushroom, kasha, and assorted mixtures of these. Incidentally, Kasha is NOT noodles and barley (Barman) but is buckwheat groats. The egg noodle bow-ties often served together with Kasha is an added touch known as "varnishkes". As I recall the best knishes in Brooklyn ( or anywhere in the world) were at Mrs Stahls in Brighton Beach. They have been ( and still are) in the same place for over 40 years, although not under the original management.Knishes are still available from pushcarts, although the vendors have moved to the high rent district in Manhattan and ply their wares along Fifth Ave. Their product unfortunately has a warmed over taste and cannot be compared to stuff fresh out of the oven.
peters@cubsvax.UUCP (04/07/84)
Of course, anyone knows that the best knishes in the world were
*my grandmothers'*, although, alas, Mrs. Stahl's might be now.
I'll try them and let you know.
My grandmother's knish dough was a simple flour-and-water dough,
but not rolled thin like phillo. When cooked, the dough was not
really flakey, but not really chewey either. Slightly burnt around
the edges.
She greased the tin with chicken fat, and the inside generally contained
potatoes lumpily mashed with salt, a goodly amount of pepper and more
chicken fat, plus small pieces of chicken giblets.
Sic passit gloria mundi.
{philabs,cmcl2!rocky2}!cubsvax!peters Peter S. Shenkin
Dept of Biol. Sci.; Columbia Univ.; New York, N. Y. 10027; 212-280-5517