What Is Farfel?

Definition: Farfel is a tiny, pellet-shaped egg noodle similar to German spaetzle or Hungarian nokedli, that was once a popular side dish -- served simply seasoned alongside meat or poultry -- in Jewish Ashkenazi cuisine.

Farfel is sometimes called "egg barley," though it contains no barley, and doesn't much look like it either. To further confuse matters, most folks nowadays are more familiar with matzo farfel, small bits of broken matzo used in Passover recipes.


Matzo farfel likely gets its name more from its size and shape, rather than its culinary qualities, for while it's small (though not as small as "real" farfel), it in no way behaves like an egg noodle in recipes. (Matzo farfel is used as a bread substitute during the Passover holiday in kosher-for-Passover recipes, especially in oven-baked dishes.)

At the Friday night Sabbath meal, the Baal Shem Tov, the father of Chassidut, would eat farfel. He explained that farfel is related to the Yiddish word farfallen which means done, over, finished. Whatever happened during the week or in the past is finished; Friday night is the time to put the past in the past, move on, begin anew. Thus began the custom to eat farfel during the Sabbath evening meal.

Pronunciation: far - ful

Common Misspellings: farfal

Examples: My children want me to make farfel instead of rice for the Sabbath dinner.

Egg Farfel Recipes:

It can be challenging to find farfel in mainstream groceries, but you may find it if  there's a kosher aisle.

Keep in mind that it may be labled "egg barley." Feeling ambitious? You can make farfel from scratch using this recipe. Add it to soups, as in this Farfel-Potato Dairy Soup recipe. Or try this Hungarian Browned Egg Barley, which is similar to a pilaf. 

Matzo Farfel Recipes:

Though many people only break out matzo farfel during Passover, you can cook with it year round. Try it in one of these recipes:

• Savory Simmered Matzo Farfel (Meat, Passover)
  
• Apricot Chocolate Chunk Farfel Cookies (Pareve, Passover)