According to the Bible’s Book of Exodus, enslaved Israelites didn’t have time to let their bread rise as they were hastily preparing to follow Moses out of Egypt for their mass migration to the Promised Land. Instead, they baked off their unleavened dough, leaving with the resulting product, known as matzo, which is basically a cracker. To commemorate the exodus, each year during the eight-day holiday of Passover (not Hanukkah), observant Jews give up all forms of bread in exchange for matzo.
But let’s be real, a cracker is not a substitute for bread. Try to imagine my embarrassment at the elementary school lunch table as I would bite into a sandwich made of thick slices of kosher salami stuck between two sheets of the unforgiving carb; shards of the stuff would fly everywhere.
And matzo isn’t the only food that can stigmatize a young Jew. Take chopped liver for example, the ugly stepsister of the more elegant pâté. Looks like baby poop and doesn’t smell so great, either. At best it’s an acquired taste.
Then there’s gefilte fish, which in Yiddish means “stuffed fish;” it’s basically ground-fish meatloaf, typically consisting of carp, pike or whitefish. Yeah, I know, sounds gross; but I promise, dip it in some horseradish and it’s delicious.
For the adventurous, there’s stuffed kishka, also known as stuffed derma. Basically, it’s cow intestine filled with flour or matzo meal, schmaltz (chicken fat) and spices. As a small child I was told not to sit too long on the ice while ice skating or I would “freeze my kishkas.” This would conjure up all sorts of horrid images in my head. There’s probably a good reason the FDA banned the use of cow intestine in the ’50s.
But honestly, not all Jewish food is bad, especially this time of year when my people’s cuisine really begins to shine. I think everyone can agree that fried foods are the best, right? Traditionally, Hanukkah is celebrated with a variety of tasty foods fried in oil, as oil played a significant role in the Hanukkah story — a small jug of oil miraculously kept the temple menorah lit for eight days. The most popular holiday dishes are latkes, crispy fried potato pancakes that are served with applesauce and sour cream, and sufganiyot, which are jelly-filled doughnuts.
Whether you’re Jewish or not, if you’d like to make your own latkes, I’ve included one of my favorite recipes. If you want to eat them but not make them, Rascal’s NY Deli in Blue Ash is the place to go for all of your Hanukkah food needs, including gefilte fish with beet horseradish, and chopped liver. As for jelly doughnuts, look no further than Holtman’s, which is serving up powder-sugar dusted sufganiyot in all three locations during the week of Hanukkah (Dec. 16-24).
Potato Latkes
Makes two dozen
Ingredients:
Vegetable oil for frying
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 medium onion, grated
Large pinch of salt and pepper
8 large Idaho or russet potatoes peeled and grated at the last minute so the potatoes do not become discolored; squeeze out as much liquid as possible
Instructions:
Over medium-high heat, heat 1/3-inch oil in a heavy frying pan until very hot. While the oil is heating, place the flour, eggs, onion, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Immediately add the potatoes to the batter. Form small patties and lower them into the hot oil. Fry until golden, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove and drain on paper towels. Serve with applesauce and sour cream.
RASCAL’S NY DELI is located at 9525 Kenwood Road, Blue Ash, rascalsdeli.com. HOLTMAN’S DONUTS is located at 1332 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine; 1399 Ohio 28, Loveland; 214 W. Main St., Williamsburg, Ohio, holtmansdonutshop.com.
