Latkes, blintzes and doughnuts! Ahh, the foods of Chanukah

16th December 2009

Latkes, blintzes and doughnuts! Ahh, the foods of Chanukah

posted in Food Culture, Food History, Rachel, Recipes |

Happy Chanukah to my Jewish readers! The eight-day Jewish festival of lights began at sundown Dec. 11 and continues through Saturday. I was raised Christian and now identify as Buddhist, so my knowledge of Chanukah and its origins is rudimentary at best. But the internet is a wonderful, wonderful tool and there are lots of websites devoted to sharing the holiday’s history and time-honored traditions.

As in most religious and secular holidays, food plays a large role in Chanukah traditions. Many traditional Chanukah foods are cooked in oil, in remembrance of the oil that kept the menorah alight. Traditional favorites in the U.S. are latkes, a potato fritter that may have developed in Eastern Europe. In Israel, the favorite Chanukah food is sufhaniya, a kind of jelly doughnut cooked in oil. A small spinning top, the dreidle, is used to play a gambling game using nuts, raisins, sweets or chocolate money (gelt). The four-sided top carries the initials of the Hebrew phrase “a great miracle happened there.” Dairy products, especially cheese, are another Chanukah tradition. This is done in memory of the Jewish heroine Judith, who according to legend saved her village of Bethulia from Syrian attackers. With her main, Judith entered the enemy camp and fed Holofernes, the Syrian leader, salty cheese and fine wine until he fell into a drunken stupor. The clever Judith then seized his sword and cut off his head, which she brought back to her village in basket. The next morning, Syrian troops saw their leader’s head mounted on the city walls and fled in terror.

A typical Chanukah party menu might include: gelfilte fish, or poached fish patties; potato pancakes, fried, of course, in lots of oil; sweet cream cheese rugelach, strawberry-jam-filled doughnut covered in powdered sugar; fried apple fritters; cheese-filled doughnuts fried in oil and dipped in honey; and cheese blintzes. Yum! You don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy these delish treats. Check out some of the creative recipes I found online:

Potato isn’t the only kind of latke. Check out these vegetable latke recipes or for a twist, fruit latkes.

Not afraid of a little hot oil? Check out this jelly doughnut recipe from the Food Network or this recipe for bimuelos (fried honey puffs) from About.com.

Sweet tooth? Check out the New York Times’ recipes for delkelekh (cheese danish pastries), chocolate-apricot babka, cinnamon-raisin filling, or jam-filled mandelbrot.

If you’re looking for something a bit more filling, check out these recipes for noodle kugel, challah (braided bread), sweet potato tzimmis, matzah onion stuffing and mulled wine.

Share your own Chanukah recipes or traditions in the comments below.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 16th, 2009 at 11:40 am and is filed under Food Culture, Food History, Rachel, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1 On December 16th, 2009, Shoshi said:

I hate to tell you, but you got a little bit wrong about the holiday of Hanukkah. I don’t mean to ramble, but I am Jewish and teach Judaism in Hebrew school and some of the facts you have written about aren’t quite right.

Hanukkah is a minor holiday in the Jewish year and the “celebrations” that have popped up in American culture are due to the proximity to Christmas. In the Jewish tradition, Rosh HaShanah (The New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) are the biggies.

The only thing “required” to celebrate Hanukkah is the lighting of the candles to commemorate the rededication of the Great Temple in Jerusalem after it was desecrated by the Syrian army.

As to foods, the only thing that you are supposed to eat are any foods cooked in oil. Sufganiyot, those jelly filled doughnuts, are a popular Israeli food and in America, potato latkes (pancakes) are popular. Kugel, gelfilte fish, rugaleh, and all the other foods you mentioned are traditional foods that are eaten all year long. The dairy foods are generally not a Haunkkah dish, but eaten at another holiday later in the year called, Shavout, a holiday commemorating the giving of the Ten Commandments and a full day of study.

The dreidel game is a gambling game, but it was used as a cover, in days gone by. (Oh and the word dreidel is Yiddish, the name in Hebrew is sivivon.) It was a game children played while on watch, during the time of the Syrian occupation of what is present-day Israel, as the adults studied Torah (the 5 Books of Moses). The children would warn the adults that the guards were coming and the Torah would be put away and everyone would play the dreidel game. The letters on the top were added after that time, to remember the “great miracle that happened there” referring to the miracle of the kosher oil to light the traditional menorah (7 branched) that was only supposed to last for one day, but lasted for 8 days until more kosher (proper) oil could be made.

posted on December 16th, 2009 at 12:32 pm

2 On December 16th, 2009, Alyssa (The 40 year-old) said:

Oh man, I LOVE Chanukah food!!!!! Latkes with sour cream and apple sauce? Heaven! And those doughnuts! And noodle kugel, matzoh ball soup, challah …
Gefilte fish? Not so much, lol!

posted on December 16th, 2009 at 1:08 pm

3 On December 16th, 2009, pandoradeloeste said:

My Danish mother-in-law imported a Danish dish called æbleskiver, which are basically round puffy pancakes fried in a little oil (not tons). They’re great fun to make (although messy), and best eaten straight from the pan with some powdered sugar or marmalade.

posted on December 16th, 2009 at 1:20 pm

4 On December 16th, 2009, Rachel said:

@Shoshi: Thanks for sharing your insights, but I’m not sure what I got “wrong” exactly. I never wrote of any particular “requirements” for Chanukah; I only wrote of traditions involving food that are observed by many Jews during the celebration (and Chanukah is promoted as a celebration by many Jews regardless of how minor a holiday it really is) and of what kinds of foods you may see served at Chanukah. Surely Jews don’t only eat latkes during Chanukah! As for the dairy food, I found many websites that do say that it is a food eaten at Chanukah. Perhaps this is a custom observed by a particular sect or region of Jews?

posted on December 16th, 2009 at 1:40 pm

5 On December 16th, 2009, Shoshi said:

Perhaps “wrong” was the incorrect word. I surely did not mean to belittle anything you said.

It’s just that, many non-Jews do feel that Hanukkah is such a “big deal” sort of holiday, akin to Christmas, and don’t seem to understand that it is minor. Hanukkah is definitely supposed to be celebrated by all Jews, as it IS a holiday and we are supposed to observe all sorts of odd things in the Jewish year. In the tradition of most Reform Jews of today, we are trying to educate the kids in our schools that it’s more about the religious aspect and miracle aspect of the holiday, rather than the gift giving side. In fact, the gifts that kids used to get were the gelt (chocolate or real coins) to play dreidel with and that was it.

Nah, we don’t just eat latkes, but, dinner is just regular dinner with an addition of a yummy desert or appetizer.

As to the dairy stuff, the Ashkenazic (from Eurpoe) community that I am surrounded by has never had that particular tradition, perhaps it’s more Sephardic (from Spain)?

Please understand, I was not trying to disrespect you in any way, just wanted to add some additional information, perhaps.

posted on December 16th, 2009 at 2:13 pm

6 On December 16th, 2009, Shoshi said:

Er, and that’s Europe, not Europe. Whoops!

posted on December 16th, 2009 at 2:14 pm

7 On December 16th, 2009, Rachel said:

I very much appreciate your added information I get press releases often from a local Jewish center on celebrations of various Jewish holidays and many of them sound very cool and have really interesting origins. It’s always nice to hear first-hand from someone who is well-versed in a particular culture.

Ya, I know that Chanukah is a minor tradition for Jews, but it’s probably one of the most well-known Jewish holidays among non-Jews (myself included), which is why I wrote this post. Even Hindus, who celebrate the Pancha Ganapati festival in December, have taken to amplifying the festivities so as to help Hindu kids feel a little less alone around Christmas. Sadly, we Buddhists have no holidays to celebrate in December, so I celebrate Christmas as a secular holiday.

posted on December 16th, 2009 at 2:57 pm

8 On December 16th, 2009, WendyRG said:

Funny you should mention Chanukah today (this being said with a heavy Yiddish accent)! I am making latkes for supper tonight! They’ll be traditional potato, served with sour cream and apple sauce. I will accompany them with a selection of raw veggies, just to sneak something vaguely healthy in.

I am a very unobservant Jew (except for Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur). When I was growing up, we didn’t light the candles, but I have done so with my kids. The book with the Chanukah prayer is covered in wax. This year, however, I was lazy and the boys are now teenagers so candle lighting hasn’t happened. But latkes…absolutely…for me, my two bar-mitzvahed boychicks and my militantly atheist, raised-Catholic husband.

Oh, BTW, though I feel profoundly Jewish, culturally speaking, I feel close to Buddhism too. There are actually a lot of Jews with Buddhist tendancies like me.

posted on December 16th, 2009 at 5:07 pm

9 On December 16th, 2009, Aine said:

We have Bodhi Day!

http://familydharma.pulelehuadesign.com/bodhi.htm

posted on December 16th, 2009 at 5:26 pm

10 On December 16th, 2009, Rachel said:

@Aine: Wow, I didn’t even really know about Bodhi Day. I am such a bad Buddhist!

posted on December 16th, 2009 at 6:30 pm

11 On December 16th, 2009, Loud and PROUD! said:

You’ve talked about Christmas and Chanukah – why no mention on Kwanzaa? There’s room enough on this blog to include everyone!

posted on December 16th, 2009 at 8:44 pm

12 On December 16th, 2009, Rachel said:

@Loud and Proud: Heh, actually we haven’t really discussed Christmas other than in the comments here. I really don’t know all that much about Kwaanzaa and its food traditions. Perhaps you can enlighten us?

posted on December 16th, 2009 at 9:00 pm

13 On December 16th, 2009, Loud and PROUD! said:

Kwanzaa, which means “first fruits of the harvest,” is celebrated from December 26 through January 1. Each day is celebrated, by getting together with family and friends. Each day has it’s own principle, and you’re supposed to discuss it as a group. A candle is lit each day, kinda like Chanukah. The first day starts with a black candle – it represents African American people in unity. The next six days alternate between lighting a red candle, representing struggle, and a green candle, representing a “green future.” A feast is held on December 31 for “sharing, remembering, reassessing and rejoicing.”

The traditional Kwanzaa feast, at least in my family, consists of mainly soul food. I know some people go the route of more traditional pan-African dishes – but Kwanzaa is an African-American holiday and soul food really reflects that. Gumbo is popular, and BBQ is always a crowd-pleaser. Collared greens, cornbread, and biscuits round it out real nice. Follow that up with some sweet potato pie! Mmmm!

posted on December 16th, 2009 at 9:06 pm

14 On December 16th, 2009, Meowser said:

I usually make latkes this time of year, but this year, since I had a whole bunch of yams, I decided to try making curried sweet potato latkes instead. Oh boy were they good! (I used this recipe, and I fried in Crisco. I don’t use that stuff a whole lot, but nothing beats it for crunch.)

Now I’m off to the store to get matzoh ball soup ingredients. Mmmm!

posted on December 16th, 2009 at 9:41 pm

15 On December 16th, 2009, living400lbs said:

Wellll….if one wanted to be anal about it, Christmas is certainly subordinate to Easter and arguably below Pentecost. It certainly wasn’t celebrated until a few centuries after Easter had become the Major Big Deal Christian holiday.

posted on December 16th, 2009 at 11:12 pm

16 On December 17th, 2009, Sara A. said:

The best latke recipe I’ve come across (other than my mother’s) is Joan Nathan’s from the Jewish Holiday Cook Book. Part of what makes it so tasty is that there’s a higher onion to potato ratio and the other is what you fry it in. The odd thing is that it’s a much drier mixture than I’m used to and I’m trying to figure out if it’s because I used cheese cloth to squeeze the starch out.

posted on December 17th, 2009 at 12:12 am

17 On December 17th, 2009, wellroundedtype2 said:

I just read that there is an association with dairy foods and Chanukah because of Judith, a comely widow who lured a Syrian general, made him drowsy with dairy foods, and then beheaded him. She was hailed as a heroine.
I am waiting to have latkes on Friday. Fry-day!
Happy Chanukah, everyone!

posted on December 17th, 2009 at 1:04 am

18 On December 17th, 2009, Heather said:

Sounds yummy but might be hard to eat for me. I don’t know if you are aware of Bhaklava (that is a golden flaky sweet sweet pastry). The only time I tried it I could not eat more than two bites, it was enough, sooo sweet..

My favorite sweet is called (I believe) Habni Halwa.. it is brown with a kind of nut (cashews?)and tastes like cheesecake and something unidentifiable to me but it’s goood.

And I made the homemade chocolate cake.. and it was awesome.. mmmm.. I want more sweets… lol

posted on December 17th, 2009 at 2:22 am

19 On December 17th, 2009, Whatever your theology — or even if you have no theology: « Dating Jesus said:

[...] F-Word has some wonderful recipes, but feel free to add your own. Latkes for everyone! Latkes for world [...]

posted on December 17th, 2009 at 8:59 am

20 On December 17th, 2009, Emerald said:

I’m not Jewish (well, I don’t think so…there’s a kind of vague story in the family that my maternal grandmother’s family of origin might have been Jewish, but no definite information about them)…but I love latkes. I first encountered them when my mother, who owned a yarn store, went to London’s East End to buy wholesale baby clothes, and I came across the famous Bloom’s restaurant. Their latkes were amazing. They are, alas, no more, and while I tried making latkes at home, they didn’t quite taste as good. I have to try a blintz sometime – I’m in the US right now and I think I saw them on sale somewhere the other day, they’d normally be a bit hard to find back in the UK.

I’m a (fairly eclectic) Pagan, and this has gotten me thinking about our Yuletide food traditions. I think we’ve mainly adopted whatever foods were ‘traditional’ for this time of year in our cultures or areas of origin – some of which may have, way back, actually had a pagan meaning, but many of which probably didn’t. It’s fascinating looking into the history of these things.

posted on December 17th, 2009 at 12:53 pm

21 On December 18th, 2009, The Deranged Housewife said:

Jewish food = brown food = food my kids love

We are starting a new tradition this year which I hope will carry over since it involves one of my dirty little secrets–my love affair with Popeye’s fried chicken. I suggested bringing in fried chicken instead of doing the brisket/deli tray tango like we’ve been doing for the past two decades. Of course, this has NOTHING to do with the fact that fried chicken is so much better than sandwiches or that we’re in charge of the main course this year. Justifying it by linking N’awlins cuisine to Assyria through the use of hot oil was inspired, if I do say so myself.

In case you’re wondering, we’re celebrating on Sunday, two nights after Hanukah officially ends. Ignoring the calendar is another of our family traditions, and this year we’re doing well–for a while it was looking like we might celebrate Hanukah in January. Don’t ask–it’s my in-laws and I’ve learned to take a deep cleansing breath and go along with whatever they want.

posted on December 18th, 2009 at 10:38 am

22 On December 21st, 2009, cggirl said:

Ha! Hannuka kicks butt! Chocolate coins, and EIGHT DAYS OF PRESENTS Y’ALL! No, I’m kidding, we actually never got 8 whole days of presents but it’s more like the festivities are spread out over 8 days so you see different family members on different days, and so as a kid you get presents on a lot of those days

As a non-religious israeli, I love hannuka the best simply because it’s the only non-religious holiday. I mean, it SORT of is, because of the whole miracle thing, but even if – like me – you don’t buy that, it’s also a historical celebration of jews kicking ass even when outnumbered and seemingly outmatched. You didn’t mention it in your post, I think, but there was this revolt led by the Maccabees against the greek king antiochus… Very dramatic stuff.

And the coolest hannuka thing I can remember is when the israeli basketball team – named Maccabi – played the greek basketball team and won – on hannuka! I mean come ON! That was awesome. (No offense Greeks, it’s all in fun.)

posted on December 21st, 2009 at 3:50 am

23 On December 21st, 2009, cggirl said:

Also Shoshi I disagree about rosh hashana and yom kippur being our big holidays. Passover is the big one! Bigger than hannuka too. (That’s the one about the jews escaping slavery in egypt and all that…) Passover is like our christmas. Well christmas combined with thanksgiving. It’s the whole big-dinner-with-the-whole-family holiday.

But I still like me them hannuka latkes though I never call them that, I think that’s yiddish. We call them levivot in hebrew.

posted on December 21st, 2009 at 3:53 am

24 On December 21st, 2009, merri said:

I’m not jewish but I grew up having potato pancakes as a special meal. We’d have it every once in a while, usually with homemade applesauce, and that was our whole meal. It is cheap and tasty (esp for a family of five), but takes some time to grate all those potatoes. We use a family recipie from my grandma’s mother, from germany. I’ve never tried making them myself…maybe I should…

posted on December 21st, 2009 at 8:44 pm

25 On February 26th, 2010, vnpt said:

I think we’ve mainly adopted whatever foods were ‘traditional’ for this time of year in our cultures or areas of origin – some of which may have, way back, actually had a pagan meaning, but many of which probably didn’t. It’s fascinating looking into the history of these things.

posted on February 26th, 2010 at 7:00 am

26 On February 26th, 2010, Alja said: