Chrain

It is a common condiment for meat and fish dishes in Eastern and Central European cuisines (Slovene, northern Croatian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, German (especially Bavarian), Polish, Romanian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Russian, Ukrainian and Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine).

[1][2] Chrain comes from Yiddish כריין, which is in turn a loanword from Slavic languages.

[2] There are two common forms of chrain in the Slavic and Ashkenazi Jewish cuisines.

The use of chrain in Eastern and Central European cuisines Jewish communities is ancient, and is first attested in writing from the 12th century.

Though it has had several historical uses, chrain is most commonly associated in modern times with gefilte fish, for which it is considered an essential condiment.