Why is the traditional Rosh Hashanah dish “tzimmes" synonymous with the word "fuss"?

stedman

Basically, because the dish itself contains lots of ingredients and takes a long time to cook. To quote this website: http://www.interfaithfamily.com/holidays/other_holidays/A_Boyfriends_Tzimmes_Spurs_a_Lifetime_Love_of_Jewish_Food.shtml?rd=1 "The word tzimmes derives from the German zum, or "to the," and essen, or "eating." Simmered for hours on a low flame, tzimmes is a mixture of vegetables; fruits, often dried; and sometimes meat, such as brisket, flanken, or short ribs. It's not surprising that tzimmes originated in Germany, where people have cooked fruit with meat since the Middle Ages. Because of their many ingredients and long cooking time, tzimmes recipes are associated with prolonged procedures or involved business." Jul 29 08, 4:55 AM

gentlegiant17

Hebrew sources confirm stedman's finding. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tzimmes http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%9E%D7%A2%D7%A1 By the way, the core ingredients of the original German zimmes are carrots, raisins and sugar molded into a rather sticky mass (it's not a dessert though). Trust me, you've eaten tastier stuff in your lifetime. [English link added -- Zb] Jul 29 08, 5:53 AM