היסטוריה ומקורות
The Torah permits only aquatic creatures that have fins and scales.1
Originally the ground fish was stuffed into the skin removed from a whole fish (hence gefilte, "stuffed"); today mostly only dumplings are shaped.2
A frequently cited explanation links the popularity of ground fish on Shabbat to the fact that it avoids picking out bones, which some consider forbidden "sorting" (borer).
גרסאות אזוריות
In Polish and Galician communities gefilte fish is traditionally sweetened with sugar, while in Lithuanian (Litvak) ones it is seasoned more with pepper. The line between "sweet" and "peppery" gefilte fish is popularly regarded as the culinary border between the two groups.2
It is served cold with a slice of carrot and horseradish (chrain), often with jelly made from the broth.


