Sabbath stew

Sabbath stew was developed over the centuries to conform with Jewish laws that prohibit cooking on the Sabbath. The pot is brought to a boil on Friday before the Sabbath begins, and sometimes kept on a blech or hotplate, or left in a slow oven or electric slow cooker, until the following day.^[1]

Two of the best known sabbath stews are hamin, a Sephardic dish that emerged in Spain, and cholent, an Ashkenazi dish derived from hamin that emerged later in France. Both dishes are based on a mixture of whole grains, meat, beans and potatoes.^[1][2]

Both stews are ultimately derived from harisa, a more simplistic, traditional Middle Eastern porridge consisting of just cracked durum wheat berries and meat.^[3] Over the centuries various Jewish diaspora communities created their own variations of the dish based on local food resources and neighborhood influence.^[1]

There are many variations on sabbath stews, which are today staples of both the Sephardi and Ashkenazi kitchens and other communities.^[4] The slow overnight cooking allows the flavors of the various ingredients to permeate and produces the characteristic taste of each local stew.^[1]