A braided or twisted egg bread traditionally eaten by Jewish people on the Sabbath and Jewish holidays.
From Hebrew 'ḥalla' meaning bread or loaf, related to Arabic 'hulla'. The word entered English in the 19th century from Yiddish and Hebrew speaking communities. It originally referred to the portion of dough separated for the priest in ancient Jewish temple practice.
Challah's glossy, golden appearance comes from an egg wash applied before baking, and the braiding pattern has been ritualized for centuries—the complexity of the braid can actually indicate which holiday it's being made for.
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