You say potato. I say potato kugel. You say you’re in a stew? I say what’s the big tzimmes? <br /> <br />Tzimmes. <br /> <br />Pronounced tzim-mess. For those unfamiliar with the term, tzimmes is generally understood as Yiddish for “a big fuss.” <br /> <br />In Jewish cooking terms, a tzimmes is essentially a casserole. Similar to a stew. Asked to bring a side dish to a Seder meal, for example, it would be understood that I would make a big tzimmes of the request, stewing up something delicious and “company-style.” <br /> <br />I don’t know which came first, the big fuss or the Eastern European dish, but I do know that to make a tzimmes involves some chopping, simmering and stewing, tzimmissing, if you will. <br /> <br />Like a good argument, a good tzimmes is both savory and sweet. What goes into a tzimmes can be either vegetables or meat and any combination of fruit, most notably prunes. <br /> <br />In cooking as in life, as it turns out, making a tzimmes is easy as pie. Essentially it's take, chop, mix and stew.

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