(from blog.friendseat/what-is-hanukkah.) The Jewish Festival of Lights or the Hanukkah is a celebration that pays tribute to an important part of the Jewish history. This dates back in 165 B.C.E. during the war with the Syrian-Greeks. The Hanukkah story begins when the Jews went back victorious from the war and saw a temple that was destroyed from the atrocities. In order for them to clear the temple, they would need enough oil to burn the lamps. However, they only had enough for one night, but the miracle was the oil burned for eight nights. This miracle is thereby the basis of the Hanukkah which is why even though it is a festival of lights, it actually celebrates the miracle of the oil which enabled these lights to burn for eight days. Because oil is central to the Hanukkah story, oil also plays a very important role in the Hanukkah food tradition. Many refer to the Hanukkah as the period of greasy dishes, and this is because Hanukkah food must use oil to cook them or at least be part of the food. Traditionally, the oil used is olive oil, but many Jewish people have ventured out and tried different kinds of oil all these years. Hence, the Jewish people get to be creative when it comes to using oil properly depending on the kind of dish that is being cooked. Staple Hanukkah dishes are the latkes and the sufganiyot or the jelly doughnuts. Latkes, also known as the potato pancakes, are fried in oil, preferably the ones that are neutral in flavor. Apparently, cooking latkes has always been a challenge to many because it is hard to put together a proper pancake with shredded potatoes. Some use techniques such as adding more flour and other binding agent to make sure that the cake will not break. Interestingly, the true secret to a good, well-composed latkes is to squeeze the moisture out of the potato, and to use enough — not too much — binding agent such as egg and flour, to hold it together. Sufganiyot is similar to the regular jelly doughnuts, but a successful sufganiyot should be spongy and soft, and not dense. Many experiment with the jelly injected into the doughnut whereas some simply use the standard strawberry or raspberry jelly, and then go wild on the toppings. Of course, Hanukkah will not just survive on latkes and jelly doughnuts. There are a string of favorite dishes that mark the Hanukkah such as briskets (beef and chicken). Fried foods are widely popular such as fried chicken; basically, anything that is fried or uses oil as a substantial part of the recipe is good for Hanukkah. Another holiday favorite is dairy such as cheese. Interestingly, there is a Biblical significance as to the role of cheese in the celebration of the Hanukkah although it is not directly related to the Hanukkah story. Since Hanukkah sprung from the heroism of the Jewish people during their war with the Syrian-Greeks, the heroism of Judith is also attributed during this holiday. The story is that during the invasion of the Babylonians, Judith interfered the entry of the Babylonians into the village by charming her way through the army. She then fed the captain with cheese and wine, making sure that the cheese is too salty, thus the captain would be more thirsty. When the captain fell drunk, Judith beheaded him and took his severed head back to the village. Knowing that they had lost the captain, the Babylonian army abandoned the mission, and Judith was pronounced a heroine. The food that was inspired by this legend are then mostly dairy-based such as cheesecakes, blintzes, and even just slices of cheese. It should be noted that even though Hanukkah food seems to be the same across the Jewish tradition, how they are made are actually different. Due to the Jewish diaspora, there are many Jews all over the world, thus affecting how they cook and their recipes. For instance, Jews in northern Africa pair their fried food with couscous and in Mexico, Hanukkah food is more Mexican than the typical Jewish. Hence, Hanukkah is not just about greasy food and the common dishes; in different parts of the world, Hanukkah is celebrated according to their local diet thus a Hanukkah may be different in North America and an entirely different culinary experience in Eastern Europe. In the next eight days, many Jews all over the world celebrate Hanukkah for the same reason but in different means. The main point is to uphold the essence of Hanukkah in the food, and that is to make something delicious with lots and lots of oil.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 13:50:45 +0000
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