Chanukah Foods From Around the World – Jewish Exponent
Posted By admin on December 4, 2020
North American Ashkenazi Jews may associate Chanukah celebrations with potato latkes and sufganiyot, but theres nothing in the Maccabees story that says these are our only options.
For Jewish communities around the world, the tradition of eating fried foods during the Festival of Lights means holiday tables can feature fried meat, sweet and savory fritters and any kind of doughnut iteration imaginable. This year, I sampled four traditional Chanukah dishes from Italy, Spain, Latin America and India.
Pollo Fritto per Hanukkah (Fried Chicken for Hanukkah)
Having grown up with brisket or roasted chicken as the protein of choice at a Chanukah table, I was intrigued to find that Italian Jews traditionally celebrate the Festival of Lights with a special fried chicken recipe and wanted to give it a try.
I chose an Italian recipe from Leah Koenigs cookbook Little Book of Jewish Feasts. It combines lemon, thyme and cinnamon in a quick marinade that makes the chicken moist and tender without requiring it to sit too long (if it does, the acid from the lemon juice will make themeat tough).
I had never had fried chicken made with lemon before, but its a pretty genius inclusion. The acidity cuts through the fat and prevents the dish from being overwhelmingly oily, which is especially welcome if youve still got piles of other fried deliciousness to plow your way through. I wouldnt think to include cinnamon in a fried chicken recipe either, but it adds a nice depth of flavor.
Keftes de Prasa
These leek fritters are a Sephardic holiday staple and are often eaten at Chanukah because they are fried in oil. They originated in the Iberian peninsula but can also be found in Turkish, Greek and Middle Eastern cuisine.
I found a simple recipe by Michael Natkin on Serious Eats that called for leeks, eggs, bread crumbs, herbs and salt. At least, it seemed simple until I started washing the leeks and kept washing the leeks for what felt like two hours because they had so much grit in them. The batter comes out a little thinner than a typical latke, which threw me off as I tried to judge whether they were done, but I managed to avoid burning mostof them.
Fine, half of them.
The keftes have a light, sweet, almost nutty taste when theyre cooked, and I could easily have eaten four or five at a time. The crispy fried texture definitely screams Chanukah, although these leek pancakes are a little less starchy and filling than a latke.
Gulab Jamun
I was familiar with these fried sweets thanks to my moderate to severe obsession with Indian food, but I didnt realize until recently that they were commonly enjoyed at Chanukah by Indian Jews.
Gulab jamun is a traditional Hanukkah treat among the Bene Israel of Mumbai, as it combines the two primary holiday foods, dairy and fried, Gil Marks wrote in The Encyclopedia of Jewish Food.
The desserts are made by cooking milk and flour in oil at a low heat. When theyre golden brown, the fritters are drenched in a spiced chini pani (sugar syrup) that often contains cardamom.
You can find gulab jamun at a lot of Indian restaurants I typically buy mine from Ekta Cuisine in Fishtown. The small sweets have the consistency of a really rich cake doughnut they definitely strike that decadent, deep-fried note youd expect from a Chanukah dish. I also like pouring the leftover cardamom sugar syrup in chai tea.
Buuelos Buuelos, also known as bimuelos or bumuelos in Ladino, originated in Spain and Portugal and have become popular desserts in Latin American countries. You can find them served at Colombian or Mexican restaurants. They are commonly eaten by Sephardic Jews during Chanukah because, you guessed it, oil.
According to Ty Alhadeff, Sephardic studies research coordinator of the Stroum Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Washington, they are also eaten for biblical reasons. The first Ladino translation of the Torah published in Istanbul in 1547 read that the manna God provided to the Israelites in the desert tasted like buuelos, or fritters, in honey.
Theyre also quite simple to make at home all you need is flour, sugar, yeast, water, salt and oil for frying. I made a batch that turned out a little less fluffy and round than the picture on My Jewish Learning (that recipe is adapted from Gil Marks book The World of Jewish Desserts) but the results were still a bit lighter and breadier than sufganyot. They remind me of the fried dough you can find at carnivals dusted with cinnamon and sugar.
Although these desserts are technically Iberian and Latin American, I put a North American twist on mine by drenching them in maple syrup. No regrets.
[emailprotected]; 215-832-0729
Read more here:
Chanukah Foods From Around the World - Jewish Exponent
- Protecting Ashkenazi Jewish Magic: Preservation Through Storytelling and History - tor.com - March 3rd, 2021
- Israel, US reach behind-the-scenes agreement on Iran, FM says - Ynetnews - March 3rd, 2021
- Israel, Jordan relations warm up, but not thanks to Netanyahu - Al-Monitor - March 3rd, 2021
- Study Shows Loss of Function of PLD1 Gene is Causal to Congenital Heart Disease - Newswise - March 3rd, 2021
- Israel to spend 35m compensating families of children who disappeared - Jewish News - March 3rd, 2021
- IDF prepared to take action to stop Iran from obtaining nukes - Gantz - The Jerusalem Post - February 26th, 2021
- Israel Elections: Stop blaming Gantz, unite to fight the Right - opinion - The Jerusalem Post - February 26th, 2021
- Israel to Pay $50M to Families of Children Who Disappeared in State's Early Years - Jewish Exponent - February 26th, 2021
- Israel offers compensation to families of missing children - Minneapolis Star Tribune - February 26th, 2021
- Illinois Governor, Israeli Foreign Minister and Sheba Medical Center CEO Partner on the Chicago ARC Innovation Center to Advance Health Equity -... - February 26th, 2021
- Israel giving 'symbolic' number of COVID vaccines to Palestinians, other nations - Ynetnews - February 26th, 2021
- The dispute on how to handle Iran could cost us - JNS.org - February 26th, 2021
- Straight or natural: The best hair products for curly hair - Edmonton Journal - February 19th, 2021
- Children are increasingly the casualties of COVID - Ynetnews - February 19th, 2021
- Bidens first call in region will be Netanyahu, White House says - The Jerusalem Post - February 18th, 2021
- Veteran diplomat Gideon Meir dies at 74 - The Times of Israel - February 18th, 2021
- What I learned from starting a new job during the pandemic - CTech - February 16th, 2021
- Harris' stepdaughter accidentally highlights the complexity of Jewish identity J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - February 16th, 2021
- Lilly exec resigns after relationship that violated policy - The Republic - February 14th, 2021
- Ins and outs: Changes at Merck, Lilly and Editas - BioProcess Insider - BioProcess Insider - February 14th, 2021
- Israel not the reason Biden hasn't called Netanyahu. What is? - analysis - The Jerusalem Post - February 14th, 2021
- A place in the sun? Assessing the Turkish governments olive branch to Israel - Global Risk Insights - February 14th, 2021
- Dagashiya in decline: The slow fade of a traditional sweets institution - The Japan Times - February 7th, 2021
- This 25-year-old Ashkenazi-British-Sudanese comedian is blowing up on TikTok - Forward - February 6th, 2021
- Maxwell House Haggadah used 1695 art, calmed Ashkenazi nerves (the coffee bean is not a bean) - The Jewish Star - February 3rd, 2021
- Bahrain FM mourns victims of Holocaust in letter to Ashkenazi - The Jerusalem Post - February 3rd, 2021
- Letters to the editor - Wicked Local - February 3rd, 2021
- Verimatrix launches enhanced Application Protection service for Android - Help Net Security - Help Net Security - January 22nd, 2021
- For the first time, a Jew of color will lead pathbreaking diversity group Be'chol Lashon - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - January 22nd, 2021
- Is There a Jewish Link to Cancer? - Atlanta Jewish Times - January 18th, 2021
- Early elections increase indicators of an existential threat to Israel - Middle East Monitor - January 18th, 2021
- For the first time, a Jew of color will lead pathbreaking diversity group Be'chol Lashon - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - January 18th, 2021
- For the first time, a Jew of color will lead Jewish diversity org Be'chol Lashon - The Jewish News of Northern California - January 18th, 2021
- Being a Black Jewish woman in America on Jan. 6 - The Jewish News of Northern California - January 18th, 2021
- New South Philly Shop Pays Homage to Traditional Jewish 'Appetizing Stores,' Features Artisanal Smoked Fish - Jewish Exponent - January 18th, 2021
- Is a Jew Allowed to Eat Synthetic Meat & Then Drink a Dairy Coffee? - Yeshiva World News - January 18th, 2021
- Beyond Chopped Liver Cookbook Gives Jewish Food a Healthy Makeover - jewishboston.com - January 18th, 2021
- Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi will not run in Gantz's party - Haaretz.com - December 30th, 2020
- MK Cotler-Wunsh quits Blue and White, says shes committed to continue serving - The Times of Israel - December 30th, 2020
- TV report: Gantz, Ashkenazi considering departing politics - The Times of Israel - December 29th, 2020
- Common and rare variant prediction and penetrance of IBD in a large, multi-ethnic, health system-based biobank cohort - DocWire News - December 29th, 2020
- Thoughts on the attack on North Shore Hebrew Academys website - The Jewish Standard - December 23rd, 2020
- How can Israels left-wing parties win more Mizrahi votes? - The Jerusalem Post - December 23rd, 2020
- What will Israel's next government look like? It depends on us! - The Jerusalem Post - December 23rd, 2020
- Jon Ossoffs Letter to the Jewish Community - Atlanta Jewish Times - December 23rd, 2020
- Jews of color exist and heres why it matters - The Jerusalem Post - December 23rd, 2020
- Is Pakistan seeking to normalise ties with Israel? Here`s what new report says - Zee News - December 23rd, 2020
- 'Esau' Puts New Twist on Biblical Brotherhood - Jewish Exponent - December 23rd, 2020
- Treasures of Judaica From the Sassoon Family Collection - The Wall Street Journal - December 12th, 2020
- TV chef brings Mexican latkes and jalapeno matzah ball soup north of border - The Times of Israel - December 12th, 2020
- What are the ties that unite Spain and Israel? - opinion - The Jerusalem Post - December 12th, 2020
- Rapid and ongoing evolution of repetitive sequence structures in human centromeres - Science Advances - December 12th, 2020
- Morocco agrees to normalize ties with Israel in exchange for U.S. recognition of Western Sahara sovereignty - Haaretz - December 11th, 2020
- Ehud Olmert to 'Post': Women need to take on leadership roles in Israel - The Jerusalem Post - December 11th, 2020
- Author Joseph A. Levy's new book Forbidden Love is a moving story about love, friendship, and family for two New York professionals from different... - December 11th, 2020
- Israeli, Jordanian foreign ministers meet, with plenty of issues on their agenda - Al-Monitor - December 11th, 2020
- Ashkenazi: Netanyahu didn't mention budget once in his remarks - The Times of Israel - December 5th, 2020
- What Does the Jewish Last Name Epstein Mean? - Chabad.org - December 5th, 2020
- Films From a Vanished World - The Wall Street Journal - December 5th, 2020
- Israel and Jordan aim to thaw relations with secret meeting - Axios - December 4th, 2020
- Bahrain minister to visit Israel, meet Netanyahu, Ashkenazi - The Times of Israel - December 4th, 2020
- Looking to the future from Izmirs glorious Jewish past - The Jerusalem Post - December 4th, 2020
- It's time to end the farce of this government - The Jerusalem Post - December 4th, 2020
- Fear of peace - Daily Pioneer - December 4th, 2020
- Becky with the good hair: Colorism and power in the Jewish community - Campus Times - November 17th, 2020
- Israel's Netanyahu Scared Fellow Countrymen Will "Misbehave" in the United Arab Emirates - Paddle Your Own Kanoo - November 17th, 2020
- Israeli FM: Biden Will Sign Amended Nuclear Deal with Iran and We Must Be Involved - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - November 17th, 2020
- Researchers Suggest Breast Cancer Screening in Black Women be Initiated by Age 40 - Cancer Network - November 17th, 2020
- Malawi to be first African nation to open embassy in Jerusalem - Cleveland Jewish News - November 5th, 2020
- Malawi to be first African state with embassy in Jerusalem - The Jerusalem Post - November 5th, 2020
- Will a possible Biden win have an influence on EU-Israel relations ? - European Jewish Press - November 5th, 2020
- Great non-fiction on tap at upcoming Arts, Books & Culture Festival - Jewish Community Voice - November 5th, 2020
- Rabbis volunteering in Philadelphia encounter the unexpected: Peace and optimism - The Times of Israel - November 5th, 2020
- Comprehensive Genomic Analysis in Some Patients With Breast Cancer Reveals Rare, Pathogenic TP53 Variant in Families of Ashkenazi Jewish Descent -... - October 25th, 2020
- Spiced, stuffed, and skinless Jewish sausages - The Jewish Star - October 25th, 2020
- Jewish Organization Sharsheret Helps Women with Breast and Ovarian Cancer During Pandemic - Jewish Journal - October 25th, 2020
- Why Israel's anti-Netanyahu protests will not change the system - Middle East Eye - October 25th, 2020
- Cleopatra's Golden Rule - or, she who has the gold, makes the rules - Neos Kosmos - October 20th, 2020
- Maybe its true Israels Jews are incapable of sovereignty - Haaretz.com - October 20th, 2020
- In an Ashkenazi world, I'm struggling to connect to my Bukharian heritage - Cleveland Jewish News - October 18th, 2020
Comments