Bagels and lox. Kugel. Babka. To break the Yom Kippur fast, think made-ahead food, and lots of it

The Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, which begins this year on Sunday evening (Sept. 25), is a solemn 25 hours of fasting and atonement.

But when it’s over, fast turns to feast.

The spread at a “break fast” gathering (not to be confused with breakfast) traditionally consists of foods that are made ahead, served either at room temperature or reheated right before serving. Observant Jews don’t cook on Yom Kippur, and even if you’re less observant, it’s pretty hard to stand in the kitchen cooking while you’re fasting.

Perhaps the most common foods used to break the fast are bagels and lox (or smoked salmon) with all the fixings. Those typically involve dairy and fish dishes, such as smoked fish, whitefish salad, flavored cream cheeses (“schmears” or “shmears”), pickled herring, capers and cucumber salad.

The break fast meal is usually meat-free, since meat and dairy don’t mix in kosher foods.

I always include a noodle kugel in my break fast menu, another traditional offering that can be made ahead and reheated (or served cool, as you like). That, plus egg salad, are substantial vegetarian options for the non-fish eaters.

Jake Cohen, author of the just published “I Could Nosh: Jew-ish recipes Revamped for Everyday” (Harper Collins), mostly adheres to traditional foods for his break fast, but has some firm opinions about the components. Quality counts, he says, and he has dedicated time looking for the best bagels, the best smoked fish, and so on.

“It’s like the difference between a charcuterie board from a high-end cheese shop versus one from a grocery store,” he says.

Cohen is particular about his bagels. Since bagels are usually bought the day before the break fast, they are never at their freshest. Cohen compensates by