knish n : (Yiddish) baked or fried turnover filled with potato or meat or cheese; often eaten as a snack

English

Etymology

From the Yiddish knish, from the Polish knysz.

Noun

1. An Eastern European Jewish or Yiddish snack food consisting of a dumpling covered with a baked or fried dough shell.

A knish ( i.e. the "k" is pronounced) is an Eastern European snack food popular in Jewish communities. A knish consists of a filling covered with dough that is either baked or fried. Knishes can be purchased from street vendors in urban areas with a large Jewish population, sometimes at a hot dog stand.

In the most traditional versions, the filling is made entirely of mashed potato, ground meat, sauerkraut, onions, kasha (buckwheat groats) or cheese. More modern varieties of fillings feature sweet potatoes, black beans, fruit, broccoli, tofu or spinach. Many cultures have variations on baked or fried dough-covered snacks similar to the knish: the Jamaican patty, the Spanish and Latin American empanada or Papa rellena, the Italian calzone, the South Asian samosa, and the Middle Eastern fatayer.

Knishes may be round or square/rectangular. They may be entirely covered in dough or some of the filling may peek out of the top. Sizes range from those that can be eaten in a single bite hors d'oeuvre to sandwich-sized knishes that can serve as an entire meal.

See also

• Yonah Shimmel's Knish Bakery

• Zabar's