Middle High German varveln, through Yiddish farfl) are small pellet-shaped noodles, made of either flour mixed with egg or matzo.
Farfel is most prevalent in Jewish cuisine, where it is a seasonal item used in Passover dishes. In this form, farfel simply consists of matzo broken up by any means into small pieces, and used as a bread substitute in various recipes, from kugel to mushroom pie to latkes. It is particularly prevalent in oven-baked dishes. Farfel also refers to an egg noodle dough which may be cut or grated for use in soups, or served as a side dish. Among Hassidic Jews, farfel is served as a side dish on the night of the Sabbath, in accordance with a custom instituted by the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism.
In both cases, farfel is carefully soaked in water in preparation; while moistening is necessary to soften the dough, allowing too much water to soak in will leave the mixture irreparably soggy.
Farfel is not related to the similar-sounding falafel and farafella or farafelle pasta bows.
also see: Farfel Recipes
Trivia
Two television dogs have gone by the name of Farfel:
The hound dog puppet used as Nestlè's mascot in its 1950s and 1960s commercials- famous for drawling "CHAW-W-W-CLIT!"- obtained its name directly from the food item.
In Episode 21 of Seinfeld, "The Dog," Jerry was forced to take care of a dog named Farfel after its owner suffered an attack of Bell's Palsy on an airplane.
Farfel also provided the name of the titular cat in Norman Geller's children's book "Farfel the Cat That Left Egypt."
