Latkes- A Taste of Hanukkah

If you are a regular “chum” of ours you will probably remember my story about growing up in a very Orthodox Jewish neighborhood. Add to that the fact that I have a Jewish son-in-law, and two precious Jewish grandchildren, and you can see that my bond to Jewish people has only continued to grow stronger as the years go by.  As a result I have a great respect and fondness for all things Jewish.  Hannukah is no exception. Hanukkah is the Festival of Lights which is celebrated for eight days to remember the victory of the Maccabees over Antiochus. This year Hannukah begins at sundown on December 8th and ends the evening of December 16th.  The dates of Hannukah change from year to year as it starts on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar.  This means it can begin anywhere from late November to late December depending on how the Hebrew calendar falls year to year.

The celebration of the miracle of Hanukkah originated when Judah, the Maccabee, and his followers reclaimed the temple in the village of Modi’in from Syrian King Antiochus IV. Greek soldiers forcibly gathered the Jewish villagers and told them to bow down to an idol, then eat the flesh of a pig.  These are practices that are of course forbidden to Jews. A Greek officer ordered Mattathias, a High Priest, to comply with their demands, but Mattathias refused. When another villager stepped forward and offered to cooperate on Mattathias’ behalf, the High Priest became outraged. He drew his sword and killed the villager, then turned on the Greek officer and killed him too. Mattahias fled, amassed an army and eventually returned to defeat the Syrians.

The temple was cleansed and prepared for rededication. The Hebrew word hanukkah means “dedication.” When the sacred temple Menorah (candelabra) was relit, there was only enough sacred oil to burn for one day. Yet the oil miraculously lasted eight days until more purified oil could be found. In remembrance, a candle is lit each of the eight days of Hanukkah. One candle is lit on the first night of Hanukkah, two on the second, and so on, until eight candles are lit.

Another part of the celebration of the Jews during the season of Hanukkah has to do with the story of Judith, who by all accounts was a great beauty.  Judith saved her people from the Babylonians. The Babylonian army was besieging her village, when Judith charmed her way into the enemy camp with a basket of cheese and wine. She brought the food to the enemy general, Holofernes, who apparently enjoyed large amounts of wine and cheese. (According to the story, the cheese was very salty, which made Holoferenes very thirsty.) When Holofernes eventually became drunk and passed out, Judith beheaded him with his sword and brought his head back to the village in her basket. When the Babylonians discovered that their leader had been slain, they fled.  She had successfully saved her people.

Hannukah is a joyful celebration which encourages much eating, singing and rejoicing; a happy time when family comes together to commemorate the holiday by lighting a candle for each of the eight days of the celebration, and eat special symbolic foods.  Fried food is very much a part of the celebration as it uses oil and is therefore the symbol of the miracle that Hannukah celebrates.  Two of our family’s favorite Hannukah foods are Latkes (fried potato pancakes) and Soofganiyot, these are delicious jam filled doughnuts that my daughter Sara makes for us. Dairy foods did not become popular on Hanukkah until the Middle Ages. The custom of eating things like cheese, cheesecake and blintzes emerged from the story of Judith. Homage is paid to cheese as a symbol of salvation in the story of Judith and the Babylonians in one of our very favorite foods…cheese blintzes.

Over the next couple of weeks we will feature these special foods in celebration of the Jewish holidays.  Today we will start with Latkes.  These are easy, tasty and a great accompaniment to any meat you may be making for any meal.  Latkes aren’t just Hannukah food.

Potato Latkes
(makes 12 latkes or 6 servings)

4 medium potatoes, peeled
½ medium onion
juice of ½ a lemon
½ cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
sprinkle of nutmeg
1 egg
approximately ½ cup milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
oil for frying
applesauce and sour cream for garnish

Grate potatoes and onion on a large holed grater.
  
Squeeze lemon juice over potatoes and onion, then squeeze out all the excess liquid until potato mixture is dry.
  

Place potatoes in bowl and add flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Stir just to combine. Beat egg and add enough milk to make ½ cup of liquid.  Add melted butter and stir into potatoes.

Mix until the potatoes are all moistened.  Heat about ½ inch of oil in a frying pan and drop potato mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls into hot oil.

Fry latkes about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Place on paper towels just long enough to drain off excess oil.  Serve with applesauce and sour cream…delish!!!

Over the next couple of weeks we will be giving you the recipes and directions for making all these yummy Hannukah foods….and believe me you don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy these tasty treats any time of year 🙂