kitke, noun

/ˈkɪtkə/
Forms:
Also kitka.
Origin:
HebrewShow more Etymology unknown; perhaps from Hebrew kikkar loaf.
In the Jewish community: the soft white Sabbath loaf or ‘challah’, braided and glazed with egg-white. Also attributive.
1977 Fair Lady 11 May 63Especially on Fridays, their..home would be filled with the aroma of kitke and cheese-cake for the Sabbath meal.
1980 C. Hope A Separate Development (1983) 118The baker hanged himself. His customers found him the next morning swinging ‘directly above the doughnuts and a little to the left of the kitke loaves,’ to quote the newspaper report.
1983 J.E. Kahn InformantA S. African in London bought a uniquely (Yiddish?) term to my attention in kitke/kitka..the braided, poppy seeded loaf..blessed and eaten on the Sabbath. In England it’s called challah...They don’t know what you’re talking about if you talk of kitke.
1985 S. Afr. Cookbk (Reader’s Digest Assoc.) 380Kitke, A plaited loaf of bread that is traditionally eaten on the Jewish sabbath. Also known as challah.
1987 E. Prov. Herald 17 Sept. 3Kitke Long Each 99c
1988 Fair Lady 23 Nov. (Suppl.) 12Bread! Bread! Bread! Milly’s Mister Crusty Makes It — baguettes, kitka, rye, seed loaves, pitta and many-flavoured bagels.
1990 J. Edelmuth Hooked on Cooking 179Divide dough into three for 3 kitkes. Divide each piece into three. Roll each piece into a sausage shape and plait, pinching ends together...Brush unglazed section on top of kitke with more egg mixture and replace in oven for last 10–15 minutes.
the soft white Sabbath loaf or ‘challah’, braided and glazed with egg-white. Also attributive.
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Hebrew
kitchen, nounn. & adjectiveadj.kits, combining formcomb. form
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