Remember table side service? Table side service was 1950s food fad which may be making comeback. In table side restaurants, which were usually tony places the chefs diced, minced and flambeed your supper right before your eyes.
In some traditional Jewish households table side service lives on every Shabbos morning when the head of the household performs an act of culinary theatrics when he creates an emblematic Jewish appetizer called Tzibeleh mit Eire or eggs and onions right at the table.
With family and guests watching, hopefully with rapt attention, the master of the house will mash the eggs, mince the onion and combine the two with a combination of oil and spices. And the results are magical, flavored by the Shabbos itself.
Don’t think this is a lowly job. Many important Chassidic Rebbes, the leaders of large groups of Chassidim perform this task each week with a flourish.
Tzibbele mitn eire is actually the simplest of all foods and yet it is considered a holy food fitting into the scheme of sevens that characterizes the menu of the Seventh Day, or Shabbos. Note that challah has seven ingredients. Fish gefilte or otherwise is called dag which has the Hebrew numerical equivalent of seven and tzibeleh?
Well forget the eire for a moment. Early sources say that in the old days the onion was eaten alone. The eggs came later when people became to soft to bite into a raw onion.
Now here’s a mathematical sleight of hand. In Hebrew an onion is a batzal which adds up to 140. Remove the multiple–that is allowed in this system of mystical math– and 140 magically turns into 14. But where do you get to seven? By cutting up the onion into half. No kidding.
Interestingly it is customary to eat eggs on Shabbos because eggs are Jewish foods of mourning and Moses, Moshe Rabeinu died on Shabbos. Sephardic Jews like to leave eggs in the cholent. After twelve hour simmering together with the Sabbath stew the eggs turn a toasty brown and are enjoyed as a delicacy called Huevos Haminados.
Tzibbeleh Mit Eire
3 hard boiled eggs
one medium onion diced
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
You give us such an interesting look into the religious world as it is lived in the kitchen. I could never be religious because I don’t eat eggs or oil. I know I am the poorer for it, but my cholesterol is down. Brachot, Judy
Hi Judy,
I hope I wasn’t misleading. I’ve also got high cholesterol and I stay away from eggs. . Eggs and onions are completely and totally optional.
Great to hear from you.
Best
Highly energetic article, I enjoyed that bit. Will there be a part
2?