Our Daily Bread One of the most recognizable staples of any culture, challah bread is a unique food for many reasons. Challah is considered among the Jewish people as a holy food given to the Jewish nation during the exodus. During the Sabbath and on holidays the Jewish people will serve two loafs of Challah bread, the bread is symbolic because it is made by braiding six individual strands of bread, the two loves have a total of twelve strands between them, each representing a tribe of Israel. Traditional challah recipes use numerous eggs, fine white flour, water, yeast, and sugar. Modern recipes may use fewer eggs (there are also eggless versions) and may replace white flour with whole wheat, oat, or spelt flour. Sometimes honey or molasses is substituted as a sweetener. The dough is rolled into rope-shaped pieces which are braided and brushed with an egg wash before baking to add a golden sheen. Sometimes raisins are added. Some bakers like to sprinkle sesame or poppy seeds on top for flavor. Challah is usually parve, containing neither dairy nor meat. This is very important in the laws of Kashrut. Kashrut is the series of laws the Jewish people attribute to the handling and consumption of food. These laws are numerous and sometimes contradictory but none the less they are respected and for this reason challah cannot contain meat or dairy. Challah is unlike brioche and other enriched European breads, which contain butter or milk for precisely this reason.
It is customary to begin the Friday night meal and the two meals eaten during Sabbath with a blessing over two challot (Challot meaning the plural for Challah). After Kiddush over a cup of wine, the head of the household recites the blessing over bread. The prayer, praises god the king of the universe for providing the nation with bread. Through the course of my life I have observed many Sabbaths while enjoying the delicious challah I still love. This is such a peculiar food, it truly embodies the message I hope to convey. That food is as much a philosophical entity as an organic one. Food is a concept that is spiritual in essence because it nourishes us and perpetuates life. In the Jewish tradition, all things come secondary to that which sustains nourishment prosperity and life. When thinking in these terms we can see why food is so important and why it must be respected. We all require our daily bread, and in this case challah bread.