With Thanksgiving over and the leftover Turkey tucked away in Tupperware containers, we have officially entered the holiday season. While Christmas is about a month away, Hanukkah is coming up pretty soon with the holiday starting on the evening of December 10th. Hanukkah, while not traditionally an important Jewish holiday, is still a fun time to come together for about 20 minutes a night for 8 nights and light candles, sometimes exchange presents, and hang out. I’ve noticed over the years that the food eaten on Hanukkah is never really talked about so I thought that I would talk about some of my favorite Hanukkah foods.
1) Latkes
When most people think of Hanukkah, this is the food they think about as it seems to be the common representation of Hanukkah in movies. Latkes are a delicious snack made from shredded and mashed potatoes and kind of look like a pancake when they are finished cooking. They can be topped with sour cream or applesauce but I prefer to leave mine plain. My family tends to buy them from Trader Joes but they are easy to make yourself if you have potatoes and patience. Hands down, these are my absolute favorite Hanukkah food and honestly, I eat them all year long.
2) Jelly-Filled Donuts
Jelly-Filled Donuts or Sufganioyot which is the word in Hebrew, are a sweet treat that is supposed to represent the miracle of Hanukkah in that there was supposed to be only enough oil in the lamp to last one night but it ended up lasting 8 nights. These donuts look like little puffs but have apricot or raspberry jam inside them and are topped with confectioners sugar. While these don’t make a regular appearance at my family’s Hanukkah’s when they do, they are always a massive hit and are probably the highlight of my night.
3) Brisket
Honestly this dish makes an appearance at almost every single Jewish holiday so it’s not fair just to call it a Hanukkah food however, this dish can definitely be seen at most Hanukkah’s. Brisket is a traditional dish made with beef and different seasonings and is popular due to the fact that it can be eaten by Jews who keep Kosher. We also eat Roasted Chicken at Hanukkah sometimes but Brisket is considered to be more traditional.
4) Chocolate Gelt
Chocolate gelt is both a snack and a currency during Hanukkah in that whenever you are playing Dreidel, you play using chocolate gelt. These gold wrapped chocolate coins can be found at most grocery stores or pharmacies and are very popular to give as small gifts during Hanukkah. When I was in Elementary School, I would give little bags of gelt to all of my friends and they loved it.
While there are so many more foods that could best be described as Hanukkah foods, these four are my favorites. I still snack on candy canes and peppermint flavored hershey kisses during the holiday season but my priority remains with latkes and chocolate gelt. I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday season!