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knish
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Six golden-brown knishes with flaky pastry and potato filling are arranged on a dark baking tray, some with slightly crisped edges.
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Slices of lemon pie topped with meringue.
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Chef tossing vegetables in a frying pan over a burner (skillet, food).
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knish
knish Knishes, a potato snack wrapped in thin pastry dough and baked or fried.

knish

food
Written by
Laura Siciliano-Rosen
Laura Siciliano-Rosen is a freelance writer and editor based in New York City and the co-founder of the website Eat Your World (EYW), an original guide to regional foods and drinks around the globe. Launched...
Laura Siciliano-Rosen
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

knish, eastern European potato snack commonly sold by street vendors in areas with large Jewish populations. Knishes are fist-size snacks consisting of mashed potatoes wrapped in paper-thin pastry dough and then baked or fried. Other varieties include fillings made from sweet potatoes, mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, cheese, or kasha, which is made from buckwheat groats.

The word knish is a Yiddish derivative of the Ukrainian word knysh or Polish knysz. Knishes were popular particularly in New York City in the early 20th century, when the recipe appears to have been brought to the United States by Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants.

Laura Siciliano-Rosen The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica