Nosh

Pronunciation : ‘nosh
Definition: To snack; a light meal.
Example Sentence: While making dinner, I noshed on some cheese.

A Little History:

Nosh is one of my favorite words. It’s a verb (to eat some light food); it’s a noun (the light food that one is noshing). Are we intense enough here to say, “Let’s nosh some nosh.”? I’m not sure, but, gosh, one day I hope to be that bold.

Nosh, like many Yiddish words, derives from the Middle High German naschen to eat on the sly, which is fun! Your mother-in-law is a terrible cook, so you bring a little bread to nosh on so you don’t starve. It’s obviously happened to all of us (that exact example), but now we have a beautiful word for it.

For those culinarily inclined, there is an awesome website tied to My Jewish Learning called The Nosher (meaning one who noshes). It has great recipies, fun anecdotes, and beautiful cultural stories all centered around food. So go ahead, check it out and nosh.