8 Hanukkah Food Favorites
December 6, 2011
•Le Cordon Bleu
•Austin
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8 Hanukkah Food Favorites
Hanukkah,”the Festival of Lights”, will begin at sundown this year on December 20th or the 25th day of the Jewish calendar, and last for eight days and nights. This celebration of Jewish heroes both religious and military dates back to the Maccabee’s reclaiming of Jerusalem’s Mount Moriah in 165 B.C.E. The temple held only enough oil to light the temple for one day but miraculously continued to burn for eight days. This is where the tradition of the Menorah comes from. If you are considering taking cooking classes at a cooking school in Austin you may like to learn about many of the foods traditionally prepared at Hanukkah. Here are eight holiday food favorites.
Potato Latkes
Fried foods are a big part of the Hanukkah tradition because of the oil that lit the temple for eight days and here in America the most popular fried dish is potato latkes. These little potato pancakes have an unknown origin but many believe they were first made in Russia and Poland. In the winter when most foods were scarce fried potatoes were cheap and plentiful and provided sustenance and warmth. If you are interested in taking cooking classes these are just one of the many great holiday dishes you can learn how to make.
Sufganiyot
These are one of the most popular Hanukkah dishes in Israel. Similar to a jelly donut sufganiyots are sweet, yeasty donuts filled with strawberry or apricot preserves and then dusted with cinnamon or powdered sugar.
Butter Cookies
One of the newer Hanukkah traditions, many families bake butter cookies in the shapes of menorahs and dreidels. Not only do these make a delicious dessert but parents can use them as a way to teach children the story of Hanukkah.
Brisket
Brisket is a very popular dish served at Sabbath dinner during the week of Hanukkah. This boneless cut of beef is usually braised for a long period of time in the oven as a pot roast and is also a popular entrée for Rosh Hashannah and Passover.
Kugel
Kugel is a baked pudding or casserole that is usually made with egg noodles and is a holiday staple in the homes of Jews of Eastern European descent. Kugel recipes have undergone many changes over the centuries and now enjoy regionally specific variations. They can include potatoes, cabbage, matzah, carrots, spinach, cheese and many other ingredients.
Blintzes
Similar to a French crepe, these thin pancakes can be served as is or filled with various fruits and cheeses and rooled into tubes. For Hanukkah they are traditionally stuffed with cheese and fried and oil. If you are interested in enrolling in a cooking school in Austin blintzes and crepes are fun things for you to learn how to cook.
Gelt
Gelt means money in Yiddish and refers to both the actual money as well as the popular chocolate coins given to children during Hanukkah. Popularized in the 1920’s chocolate gelt is now a common gift in many Jewish homes.
Cheese Dishes
Dairy foods are considered an important part of the Hanukkah holiday. They refer to the story of the heroine Judith and the way she saved her town by plying the Syrian governor with salty cheeses. To this day cheese is a common part of Hanukkah meals in her honor.
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Arts in Austin offers culinary arts and pâtisserie and baking training programs in Austin, Texas. To learn more
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