Babka

Babka developed in Poland and next in the Jewish communities of Central and Eastern Europe in the early 19th century. Extra challah dough was rolled up with fruit jam or cinnamon and baked as a loaf alongside the challah. the chocolate babka was likely a mid-20th century American development. To be pareve, traditional recipes used olive oil instead of butter. Its name (though not necessarily the dish itself) may be related to a type of Easter cake popular in Poland and Ukraine known as baba or the diminutive babka, which means "grandmother", related to the Yiddish bubbe. == Preparation ==

It consists of either an enriched dough, similar to challah, or a laminated dough, similar to croissants. It is sometimes topped with a streusel topping. It is also often baked into individual pastries shaped to resemble roses. == In popular culture ==

The Seinfeld episode "The Dinner Party" references both chocolate and cinnamon babka extensively, with the character Elaine Benes expressing dismay over cinnamon's status as "the lesser babka," to which Jerry Seinfeld exclaims "cinnamon takes a backseat to no babka!". The scene is often referred to by food critics when talking about babka, especially quoting Elaine's "you can't beat a babka". Baker Shimi Aaron was called "the future babka king" by Bill Addison of The Los Angeles Times in 2020. Aaron's innovations included adding orange peel and rose petals, and bringing his Egyptian, Iraqi and Yemeni heritage to his recipes for savory babkas. == See also ==