Classic Menus

Friday Night Dinner

The classic Shabbat Friday night dinner goes something like this:

challah
fish (as a separate course)
soup
chicken
kugel
vegetable dish(es)
dessert

But, you have to make it your own. In other words, make the food that you like best, for Shabbat is supposed to be a pleasure, and if your pleasure is brown rice and stir-fried veggies with sauteed tofu, eat and enjoy.

Shabbat Day

The classic Shabbat lunch goes something like this:

challah
fish (as a separate course)
chollent
cold meat (chicken, beef, tongue...)
salads (pasta, green, veggie...)
dessert

Again, serve what you prefer. Many have the custom of serving dairy at lunch. Bagels, lox, cream cheese, salad, cold soup... great on a hot summer's day!

Seudah Shelishit

The classic Third Meal, Shabbat afternoon, goes something like this:

challah (rolls)
tuna fish
salmon salad
egg salad
cut vegetables

This is the lightest of the three meals and can be as simple as peanut butter and jam on bread (the meal should begin with two whole loaves as the others). One who does not have the room for a bread meal may simply have a piece of cake or fruit.

Adapted from "Friday Night and Beyond" by Lori Palatnik (Jason Aronson Pub.)

Visitor Comments: 4

(4) Anonymous, May 2, 2010 3:07 PM

send me shabat recipes please??

recipes look good

(3) Anonymous, August 25, 2009 12:19 AM

thanks!

very helpful!

(2) Gisele, December 17, 2007 2:55 PM

Great help tp make Shabbat more special;

thanks for a very insightful guide to make shabbat better, and simple.

(1) Anonymous, November 29, 2004 12:00 AM

yum...

thanks.. now I have a guideline menu... yummm..

About the Author

Mrs. Lori Palatnik

Lori Palatnik is an author and Jewish educator who has appeared on television and radio and has lectured on five continents, illuminating traditional practices and life-styles for our contemporary world. She and her husband, Rabbi Yaakov Palatnik, live in Washington, DC, where she is Executive Director of the Jewish Women's Renaissance Project. Lori is the author of "Friday Night and Beyond—The Shabbat Experience Step-by-Step"; "Remember My Soul", which explains the Jewish concepts of soul and the afterlife and a guide to anyone who has ever lost a loved one; and "Gossip—Ten Pathways to Eliminate It From Your Life and Transform Your Soul", featured on "Dr. Laura" and FoxNews.com.