Looking around the world, there are variations on Cholent in unexpected corners of the globe. In Africa, there's a stew of chicken and peanuts. The American Southwest is famous for its "Chili Con Carne," which employ s the same kinds of ingredients as a Jewish Cholent; just the seasonings of these two classics are different. The basic foodstuffs used, principally beef and beans and onions, virtually are identical, which only proves how flavor follows seasonings. Islands in the Caribbean also have their native bean-and-meat stews, and so do parts of South America and India.

Even the American Pilgrims, who in the 17th Century adhered to the prohibition against cooking on the Sabbath as strictly as observant Jews do now, had their own variation of Cholent, which they called "Samp." Samp, like Cholent was when it first was invented, was cooked communally in the bakers' ovens on the day before the Sabbath, and then held in those ovens overnight to keep warm, exactly as we do with Cholent. To make Samp, the Pilgrims used the lima beans and corn that were plentiful in their region, and bits of meat. Their vegetable dish "Succotash," which remains popular even today, is similar to Samp, but includes no meat.

Some of these recipes may have been an unwitting effort for good nutrition, since assorted kinds of beans were indigenous to each of these localities. Beans are an excellent source of protein, while the very tiny amounts of meat used--when available--provided more in the way of taste, much like a spice. Indeed, many modern cooks, familiar with current nutritional theory, have started to leave the beans out of their Cholent preparations. Beans are high in fat, high in calories and high in carbohydrates. Since Cholent is a dish already rich in protein through generous quantities of beef, adding beans no longer serves a nutritional purpose; actually, quite the contrary.

Still, it is safe to assume that, among modern cooks, only Cholent is prepared for religious reasons.
It seems equally safe to assume that only Cholent becomes an ingredient of memories, memories of homes filled with enticing aromas, of mothers fussing, of warm kitchens, and of the glowing faces of loving families gathered together around the dining table. Here's to the creation of delicious memories.

The following Cholent recipe has been adapted from one published in MAMA COOKS CALIFORNIA STYLE: NEW TWISTS ON JEWISH CLASSICS. This charming cookbook features recipes from the residents, staff, and friends of the Jewish Home for the Aged of Los Angeles. There's a whole delicious megillah found between its covers, with recipes ranging from appetizers to desserts, covering everything from the classics to the most innovative styles of west coast cuisine. The Cholent recipe is included in the "I Remember Mama" chapter.

Harriet, the woman who generously shared this recipe, notes that this entree has been prepared by three generations of cooks in her own family. It originally was slow-baked in a wood-burning oven. Harriet advises that the Cholent also can be made in a crockpot.

Be sure to allow enough time before starting this recipe. To comply with Jewish law, the Cholent should be at least 2/3 cooked before sundown on Friday, so no attempt is made to somehow aid the cooking on the Sabbath itself. Though there are no techniques here that require great skill or concentration, there are many separate steps. The beans require at least a one-hour soak before proceeding, as noted below, and the simmering time is two hours or more. There is some slight preparation time required as well, so leave another hour for all of those procedures.

This is a dish in which all the many steps can be completed in advance and, then, the pot simply can be put into the oven to simmer slowly. That is, in fact, the very purpose for which the recipe was invented.

As noted, the beans must be boiled and soaked either for an hour before beginning to cook the rest of the recipe or, instead, they can be soaked overnight in cold water. If good beef stock is unavailable, substitute chicken stock. The flavor will be lighter, but the result still will be luscious.

Cholent touches on a fierce historic debate.

The Jews known as the Karaites (Hebrew for "Scripturalists,") rejected the Talmudic Oral Law, believing only the Written Law, the Five Books of Moses. Without an Oral Tradition to complement the Written Torah, it is a closed book. The laws of Shabbat are given clear definition only by the Talmud and its commentaries. Having cut themselves off from the Oral Tradition, the Karaites made it up as they went along, and their interpretations often resulted in bizarre perversions.

Taking literally the verse that "you shall kindle no fires...on the Sabbath day," they spent the seventh day eating cold food in cold, dark dwellings. Mainstream Judaism, on the other hand, always permitted the use of fire on Shabbat, if it is kindled before Shabbat begins, thus allowing for hot cholent on a cold winter day. Actually, we eat something hot on Shabbat also during the summer, as our ongoing refutation to the Karaites.

This is also the origin of the Mitzva of Shabbos Candles before sundown on Friday, adding a beautiful light and glow to our Shabbos Table. The Written and Oral Torah are compared to the physical body and the immortal soul. The Written Torah, concrete and visible, the body of Judaism; the Oral Torah, originally transmitted only from mouth to ear, is likened to the soul. Cholent, permitted on Shabbat by virtue of our faithfulness to the Oral Torah, is, in a sense, the Jewish soul food, as the Psalmist says, "O taste and see that G-d is good!"

All recipes copyright 2007 by Judith Segal, "The Kosher Gourmet," New York. All rights reserved.