I'm not Jewish and (therefore) I don't celebrate Shabbat, but I'm a huge fan of Challah. When I first tried this bread while I was living in Switzerland, I had no idea what this bread is for - you can easily find Challah from any bakery in Switzerland, hmmmm, wait a minute... now, thinking about it again, I'm not sure whether it was real Challah or any random bread in a braided shape.
Anyway, I like its texture and taste; it's just perfect for my breakfast!
One of my French friends asked me whether this is like french Brioche, well, I didn't know the answer back then, so I looked up wikipedia, finding out Challah doesn't contain butter.
Finding Challah in Paris isn't that difficult, thanks to the Jewish district in Marais. There're several Jewish bakeries in Marais and here are two of them where I get my Challah every week. A good thing about these two bakeries is that they have Challah everyday, unlike the one near to my house (Paris 16e) where Challah is offered only on Friday.
* in Paris 4e *
- Korcarz (29 rue des Rosiers 75004 Paris, métro line 1 either "Hôtel de Ville" or "Saint Paul")
- website: www.korcarz.com
- Sacha Finkelsztajn (27 rue des Rosiers 75004 Paris, métro line 1 either "Hôtel de Ville" or "Saint Paul")
- I find their Challah slightly sweeter than Korcarz's
- This bakery seems to be well-known to tourists and it's almost always crowded.
- website: http://finkelsztajn.com
* in Paris 16e *
- Le XXV (25 avenue Paul Doumer, 75016 Paris, métro line 6 or 9 "Trocadero")
- Challah is offered only on Friday
- I didn't try their Challah yet, but it's a Jewish bakery. I went there on non-Friday, so I couldn't get one.
