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Hanukkah: Delicious Potato Latkes and Sufganiyot

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday celebrating the rededication of the Temple on Kislev 25 165 BCE. The holiday, also called the ‘Festival of Lights,’ commemorates the miracle of one day’s worth of oil lasting eight days and eight nights. You can get into the spirit of Hanukkah with delicious potato latkes and more foods.

 

Potato latkes are a common Hanukkah food.

 

 

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups of peeled, shredded potatoes (sweet potatoes can also be used)
  • 2 beaten eggs
  • ¼ cup sliced green onions (you can also shred a regular onion)
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • Oil for frying

 

How to Prepare:

  • Prepare the potatoes and onions. Then add the remaining ingredients, being sure to combine the ingredients well.
  • Pour oil at least 1/3-inch deep into a skillet. Turn the heat to medium to ensure the oil doesn't burn.
  • Spoon two tablespoons of potato mixture into the palm of your hand and flatten it. Place that into the oil and cook for about two minutes on each side or until the potatoes are crispy and golden.
  • Remove each latke from the oil and allow it to drain on paper towels. Potato latkes are often served with applesauce.

 

Another food you may want to serve during Hanukkah is the Sufganiyot, a fried donut sometimes filled with jelly.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons dry active yeast
  • ½ cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit)
  • ¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 3 cups vegetable oil
  • Almond slivers

 

How to Prepare:

  • Combine the yeast, water and 1 teaspoon sugar and allow it to set for about 10 minutes until it turns foamy.
  • In a large bowl, add the flour and create a well in the middle. Add the eggs, yeast mixture, ¼ cup sugar, nutmeg, butter and salt. Stir it to create a sticky dough.
  • Knead the dough for about 8 minutes. Oil a bowl and place the dough into it, covering it with plastic wrap. Allow it to rise until double in size.
  • Roll the dough out to ¼-inch thick and cut out circles using a drinking glass or biscuit cutter. Cover with plastic wrap and allow them to rise for an additional 15 minutes.
  • Heat the oil until it reaches 370 degrees. Carefully place four circles into the oil and fry them until they’re golden brown, about 40 seconds on each side.
  • Remove each doughnut from the oil and allow it to drain and cool. Roll the doughnut into powdered or sugar. Sprinkle them with almond slivers then enjoy.

 

There are many foods you can eat during Hanukkah but it is customary to choose foods which are fried. You can also prepare other kosher foods to help you get into the spirit of Hanukkah. Delicious potato latkes and more will get you in the spirit of the holiday and be something your whole family can enjoy.

 

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Hanukkah Food Traditions

 Holidays can be a great time for family and friends to get together, however preparing food for them can sometimes be stressful. If you are new to celebrating Hanukkah, you may not fully understand Hanukkah food traditions particularly when they don’t seem the healthiest choices. Keep reading to learn about why certain foods are served during this eight day holiday.

 

Traditional Hanukkah foods include sufganiyot (jelly-filled doughnuts), cream cheese rugelach and apple fritters, all. You will also find potato or other vegetable latkes, fried in oil. What is the emphasis on oil and fried foods?

 

Hanukkah foods are served as a way to remind families of the miracle of the oil in the Temple in Jerusalem. When the Maccabees re-took the Temple and planned to rededicate it back to God, they found only enough special oil for the Menorah for one day. Miraculously, the oil remained lit for eight days until more oil could be produced. This is the reason Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days with oil lamps or candles being lit each night for the duration. It is also why many of the foods served during Hanukkah are fried.

 

Another reason for the emphasis on oil during this celebration in the Jewish month of Kislev is that oil has long been associated with wisdom or the study of Torah. Since the Greeks had overtaken Jerusalem, the children of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob couldn’t study Torah or even speak Hebrew. So, it makes sense, since oil is associated with wisdom and Torah, that the foods prepared during this time would be fried.

 

Foods made with milk are also served during Hanukkah. The story is told how Yehudis (a young Jewish woman) made a Greek general fall asleep by serving salty cheese and wine. While he slept, she killed him and the army became discouraged and fled. Dairy products, therefore, are served in honor of this woman’s bravery.

 

Originally the sufganiyot would not have been made with milk. However, Jewish people in Spain (known as Sephardic Jews) began to add cheese to the pastries served during Hanukkah. This would explain why cheese blintzes are served during the week of celebration. Jews in India add milk and butter to their version of sufganiyot and therefore the traditions of serving fried and dairy foods are combined.

 

Another Hanukkah foodcombines the fried and dairy traditions is the potato latke. Grated potatoes are fried in oil and served with sour cream on top. Some people also serve them with apple sauce.

 

It is amazing how food traditions begin if you think about it. What is even more amazing is that many people will serve the same foods year after year as they celebrate holidays and some don’t even understand why. Whether you are following Hanukkah food traditions or any other tradition, take time to do some research to find out why those foods are served. You may be surprised and enriched by what you find.