Hanukkah Food

Hanukkah Cards

Like most other Jewish holidays the ‘festival of lights’ or ‘Hanukkah’ comes with its own special food recipes and food traditions. Fried items are the most popular Hanukkah food since it reminds the Jews of the miracle of the oil when the Maccabees sanctified and consecrated the sacred temple in Jerusalem. Potato pancakes and doughnuts are the conventional Hanukkah food items.

The reason behind the consumption of fried foods during the festival of Hanukkah has been further explained by some rabbis. According to them the purpose of oil is akin to that of studying Torah.

The main utility of oil is to add pleasure to our food and life, as oil is not a vital part of our daily existence. As oil has the power to illuminate one’s room and soul, similarly studying of Torah also serves to illuminate the world around us.

Dairy products are consumed during the ‘festival of lights’ to bring back to our mind the memories of the Jewish heroine Yehudit (Judith) who saved her village from the Syrians. When the Syrians were starving the Jews in order to make them surrender, Judith went to the governor of the Syrian troops and fetched him cheese and wine. When he was completely drunk and fell on the floor.

Judith beheaded him. She then took the initiative to take the head back to her village in the basket. When the Jews attacked the Syrians in the following morning, the Syrian troops ran to their governor. Reaching there they were shocked to find the governor lying on the floor beheaded. They fled away from there and the Jews regained their independence. In order to commemorate the brave deeds of Judith that consuming dairy products has become an integral part of the Hanukkah food traditions.

Hanukkah Recipes
Potato Latkes
Hanukkah Dough Balls
Marshmallow Dreidels
Sufganiyot

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