Ma'ariv / NRG exposes the sudden popularity of 'Jewish' (by which they mean, Ashkenazi) food in Israel today -- gefilte fish, kishke and all. What caught my eye, though, was one of the comments at the bottom, which explained, apropos nothing in particular, that the word 'chulent' derives from the French, 'chaud lent' -- 'hot slow.'
I am embarrased to admit that despite enjoying (too?) many a chulent, I never really wondered where the word came from. Can anyone confirm this explanation? Any other explanations out there?
(Incidentally, I was also interested in a throwaway line in the article, which came to explain the timing of the Jewish food revival: "It may be the same trend the publicists are making so much of, regarding the change in the way Ashkenazim see themselves as a community" -- in Israel, that is. I can only assume this means that after decades of total domination, Ashkenazi culture is no longer the automatic default, and so Ashkenazim are having to reinforce this part of their identity. Does anyone have any examples?)
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