Lokshen
Ashkenazi egg noodles used in soups, kugels, and side dishes.
Lokshen (Yiddish: לאָקשן, lokshn), also called itriyot (Hebrew: איטריות), locshen, lockshen, or Jewish egg noodles, refers to a category of Ashkenazi Jewish egg noodles used in many traditional dishes. These include chicken soup, kugel, kasha varnishkes, lokshen mit kaese, and sides for dishes like Jewish brisket, sweet and sour meatballs, and apricot chicken. They can also be served simply with melted butter or a tomato sauce. In the United States, lokshen appear in casseroles such as tuna noodle casserole, as well as sweet and savory lokshen kugels.
The association of lokshen with Shabbat stems from the symbolism of noodles representing the unity of the people of Israel—tangled together in a way that cannot be separated.
Noodles appear in the Jerusalem Talmud (Hallah 57d, Beitza 60d), compiled around 350 CE. Food historian Charles Perry identifies these as the earliest clear mentions of boiled noodles outside China. Noodles traveled from China via the Silk Road to Persia, entering local cuisine around the 5th century CE, with Jewish merchants active in that trade. The Babylonian Talmud later mentions noodles as "rihata" (likely related to "reshteh"), a word of Persian origin. Noodles were common among Middle Eastern Jews in the first millennium CE and remained popular with Sephardi Jews after being introduced to Italy, Spain, and Southern Europe. Pasta was favored by Sephardi and Italian Jews, and later by French Jews in Provence, where a notable community existed in the 12th century. Mizrahi Jews also had their own noodle varieties during the first millennium.
The definitive Ashkenazi noodle, lokshen, emerged from a blend of Central Asian and Provençal influences, mediated through Germany. According to Jewish food historian Rabbi Gil Marks, lokshen noodles were first made around the 13th century.
In modern Israel, the term lokshen for "Jewish egg noodle" declined in Hebrew by the mid-20th century. This was due to Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, who in 1908 proposed replacing lokshen with "itriyot," derived from Judeo-Arabic via the Greek word itrion. That term gradually took over and remains in use today.
Many brands of lokshen exist worldwide. Common North American brands include Manischewitz, No Yolks, Gefen, Kemach, Heimishe, and Greenblatt's. Israeli brands (often called itriyot) include Osem and Meshubach. British brands include Kleinblatt's Pure Egg and So
- field
- Culinary history
- known_for
- Ashkenazi Jewish egg noodles used in traditional dishes
- origin
- First made around the 13th century, influenced by Central Asian and Provençal cuisines
- alternative_names
- Itriyot, locshen, lockshen, Jewish egg noodles
Lore & Background
Noodles are mentioned in the Jerusalem Talmud (Hallah 57d, Beitza 60d), published circa 350 CE, which food historian Charles Perry identifies as the first clear mentions of boiled noodles outside China. Chinese noodles spread via the Silk Road to Persia around the 5th century CE, and Jewish merchants played a prominent role in the Silk Road trade. Noodles later appear in the Babylonian Talmud as 'rihata,' a word of Persian origin. Noodles were popular among Jews of the Middle East during the first millennium CE and remained popular among Sephardi Jews when introduced to Italy, Spain, and Southern Europe. Pasta was popular among Sephardi and Italian Jews, and later among French Jews of Provence in the 12th century. Mizrahi Jews also had numerous noodle varieties during the first millennium.
The definitive Ashkenazi noodle, lokshen, was the confluence of Central Asian and Provençal influences by way of Germany. According to Jewish food historian Rabbi Gil Marks, lokshen noodles were first made sometime around the 13th century. In Israel, the term lokshen fell out of use in Hebrew by the mid-20th century due to the efforts of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, who in 1908 suggested replacing it with 'itriyot,' deriving from Judeo-Arabic via the Greek word itrion, which slowly overtook lokshen in the Hebrew lexicon.
Reader's Guide
Lokshen are significant as a defining element of Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, appearing in iconic dishes such as chicken soup, kugel, and kasha varnishkes. Their history traces back to early noodle mentions in the Jerusalem Talmud and the Babylonian Talmud, with Jewish merchants facilitating the spread of noodles along the Silk Road. The noodles symbolize the unity of the people of Israel, as they are tangled and inseparable, and are traditionally eaten on Shabbat. Lokshen come in multiple varieties—extra-fine, fine, medium, wide, extra-wide, broad, varnishkes, square, and farfel—each suited to specific dishes. In popular culture, the Yiddish phrase 'schtaffen mit lokchen' (to stuff with noodles) became a metaphor for feeding someone empty food, and in Israeli culture, 'ma'akhil lokshim' (feeding lies) means intentionally confusing someone. The term 'itriyot' replaced lokshen in modern Hebrew, but the noodles remain central to Jewish culinary tradition worldwide.
Did You Know?
- Lokshen are symbolic of the unity of the people of Israel because they are so tangled that they can never be separated, and are eaten on Shabbat.
- The first clear mentions of boiled noodles outside China appear in the Jerusalem Talmud, published circa 350 CE.
- In Israel, the word 'itriyot' replaced lokshen in Hebrew by the mid-20th century, following a 1908 suggestion by Eliezer Ben-Yehuda.
- The Yiddish phrase 'schtaffen mit lokchen' means 'to stuff with noodles,' metaphorically referring to feeding someone empty food.
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