What is Gefilte Fish?

What is Gefilte Fish?

Seeing as it’s Passover right now, I thought it would be fitting to do a post about Gefilte Fish. Many people (even Jews) ask, “What is Gefilte Fish.”  Unless you grew up eating it, you might not be inclined to pick it up off the shelf at your grocery store.

Is Gefelte Fish?

So, is gefelte fish? Honestly, it doesn’t really look that appealing in the jars, usually filled with a watery, gel-like substance.

Gefelte Fish Definition

Basically, Gefilte fish is a mixture of a variety of fish and matzoh meal formed into fish patties or balls.  The fish can be whitefish, pike, carp, mullet, or others.

Gefelte Fish Pronunciation

I don’t know if it’s correct or not, but we pronounce gefelte fish as guh-fil-tuh fish.  Although some people say geh-fil-teh.

History of Gefilte Fish

Back in the days, poor Jewish families enjoyed Gifelte fish on Shabbat and other holidays because it was an inexpensive way of being able to eat fish.

Gefilte fish is often served on Passover since it usually contains matzoh meal.

Gefilte Fish in a Jar

There are a variety of brands of Gefilte Fish.  The most popular include Manischewitz Gefilte Fish and Rokeach Gefilte Fish. You can choose from a variety of fish mixes and packed either in jell or broth. It can be served on a bed of lettuce or other greens with a side of horseradish.  You can buy a jar of horseradish or make some at home.

These Jewish Fish Balls are relatively healthy, and good for you.  Here’s the label from a Manischewitz Gifelte Fish jar that is packed in broth.  One serving has 9 grams of protein and 80 calories.  And, it’s low it fat.

How to make Gefilte Fish

If you want to make Gefilte Fish at home here are a few recipes I found.

– Gifelte Fish – All Recipes
– Passover Gefilte Fish recipe – Food Network
– Classic Gefilte Fish (Pareve)