Lox is salmon fillet that has been cured

Lox is salmon fillet that has been cured. In its most popular form, it is thinly sliced (less than 5 millimeters in thickness) and, typically, served on a bagel, often with cream cheese.

Noted for its importance in Ashkenazic Jewish cuisine, the food and its name were introduced to the United States through Eastern European Jewish immigrants. The term lox derives from Lachs in German and לאַקס laks in Yiddish, meaning "salmon". It is a cognate of Icelandic and Swedish lax, Danish and Norwegian laks, and Old English læx.

Sometimes called regular or belly lox, lox is traditionally made by brining in a solution of water or oil, salt, sugars and spices (the brine). Although the term lox is sometimes applied to smoked salmon, that is a different product.

Similar products

• Nova or Nova Scotia salmon, sometimes called Nova lox, is cured with a milder brine and then cold smoked. The name dates from a time when much of the salmon in New York City came from Nova Scotia. Today, however, the name refers to the milder brining, as compared to regular lox, and the fish may come from other waters or even be raised on farms. * Scottish-style salmon. A mixture of salt and sometimes sugars, spices and other flavorings are applied directly to the meat of the fish is called "dry-brining" or "Scottish-style." The brine mixture is then rinsed off, and the fish is cold smoked.

• Scandinavian-style smoked salmon. The fish is salt-cured and cold-smoked.

• Gravad lax or Gravlax. This is a traditional Scandinavian means of preparing (salmon). Gravad lox is not smoked, but it can be served in a similar fashion. The salmon is coated with a spice mixture, which often includes dill, sugars, salt, and spices like juniper berry. It is then weighted down to force the moisture from the fish and impart the flavorings. It is often served with a sweet mustard-dill sauce.

Beef tongue

Beef tongue is literally the tongue of a cow. The human consumption of beef tongue dates back to the days of Paleolithic hunters, who preferred the fatty portions of the carcass including tongues, as well as organs, brains, feet and marrow. Beef tongue is very high in fat however, at almost 75% of its calories derived. Some countries, such as Canada, and specifically the province of Alberta who have a large beef export industry, export large quantities of beef tongue.

Preparation

Beef tongue is often seasoned with onion and other spices, and then placed in a bowl to boil. After it has cooked the skin is often removed and served. Pickled tongue is often used by the preparer because it is already spiced. If cooked in a sauce, it can then later be reused as a sauce for meatballs or any other food item.

Beef tongue around the world

Tongue is widely used in Mexican cuisine, and often seen in tacos and burritos. Boiled tongue or boiled brisket is traditionally eaten on the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, a harvest festival also known as the Feast of Tabernacles. Also, beef tongue is a part of German cuisine, Portuguese cuisine, Persian cuisine, Philippine cuisine, and Albanian cuisine.

Babka

Babka (бабка), also known as baba (баба), is a sweet spongy yeast cake. Babka originated in Eastern Europe and was introduced to North America by early immigrants. Traditional babka has some type of fruit filling, especially raisins, and is glazed with a fruit-flavored icing, sometimes with rum added. Modern babka may be chocolate or have a cheese filling.

Despite its Christian associations, babka is also popular among Jews, particularly those with family origins in Eastern Europe.

Other than the dessert variety, there also exists a traditional Eastern European Jewish variety prepared during Passover in lieu of bread. Generally, this sort is not sweet and is prepared using crushed matzos with water, egg, and salt.

The Babka is sometimes mentioned in the show Seinfeld, where they also reference a Cinnamon Babka. It has been parodied in Cory in the House as a "Nakishka", implying it is from Bahavia.

Etymology

The name babka is a diminutive of baba ‘old woman’ or ‘grandmother’, and probably refers to the shape of the pastry, a tall cylinder, sometimes with corrugations resembling a skirt’s pleats.[1] The name of the pastry entered the English language from Polish, via French, although it is also sometimes used in its original sense, especially among those of Eastern European descent.