tzimmes

or tsim·mes

[ tsim-is ]

noun

1. Jewish Cooking. any of various sweetened combinations of vegetables, fruit, and sometimes meat, prepared as a casserole or stew.
2. Informal. fuss; uproar; hullabaloo:

   He made such a tzimmes over that mistake!

Word History and Origins

Origin of tzimmes¹

First recorded in 1890–95; from Yiddish tsimes, akin to dialectal German (Swabia) zimmes, zimbes “compote, stew,” Swiss German zimis “lunch”; compound (originally a prepositional phrase) of Middle High German z, ze, unstressed variant of zuo ( German zu ) “at, to” + Middle High German, Old High German imbiz, imbīz “snack, light meal” ( German Imbiss ), noun derivative of Old High German enbīzan “to take nourishment”; to, in- ¹, bite

Example Sentences

She’ll cook matzoh ball soup and tzimmes, a stew made of sweet potatoes and carrots.

From Washington Post

Tzimmes is a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish side dish that's especially common during holidays like Rosh Hashanah and Passover.

From Salon

While "tzimmes" translates from Yiddish as "a big fuss," the dish is pretty simple: carrots and sweet potatoes stewed with dried fruit and warming spices.

From Salon

Tzimmes is a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish side dish that's especially common during holidays like Rosh Hashanah and Passover.

From Salon

Arguably, the most popular Jewish holiday side dish is tzimmes, a baked vegetable medley that usually comprises carrots or sweet potatoes coated with orange juice and tossed with dried fruit.

From Seattle Times