On Hanukkah is it customary to eat foods that are either fried in oil or made with cheese.
The fried foods custom recalls the miracle of Hanukkah, which centered around oil (one cruse lasting for eight days). Latkes (fried potato pancakes) are traditional, topped with applesauce or sour cream, but there are many creative variations to the pancakes and the toppings. Other fried foods for Hanukkah include sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts) and other kinds of fritters.
The cheesy foods tradition is based on a story from the apocryphal Book of Judith which takes place during the time of the Maccabean revolt that we commemorate on Hanukkah. In it, an Assyrian warrior named Holofernes besieges the town of Bethulia, and though Bethulia’s elders are ready to surrender, Judith, a widow, enters the Assyrian camp and gives Holofernes salty cheese to make him thirsty and wine to make him drunk. After he becomes intoxicated, she seizes his sword and beheads him, bringing the head back to her village in a basket. The next morning when the Assyrian troops found the headless body of their leader, they fled in terror. While a severed head is not the most appetizing image, we honor Judith’s victorious and brave use of cheese by incorporating the dairy product into our Hanukkah menus.
Find even more Hanukkah recipes here.
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Latkes
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The One Trick You Need to Make Better Latkes
Easy Latkes
Parsnip Latkes
Sweet Potato Latkes
Gingered Sweet Potato Latkes
Curried Sweet Potato Latkes
Sweet Potato Latkes with Toasted Marshmallows
Grilled Cheese Latkes
Beet and Sweet Potato Latkes
Japanese-Style Latkes
Pulled Brisket-Topped Latkes
Everything Bagel Latkes
Green Latkes
French Onion Latkes
Loaded Baked Potato Latkes
Colorful Veggie Latkes
Cajun Potato Latkes
Cheese Latkes
Coconut Latkes
Rectangular Potato Latkes
Latke Hotdish
Learn more about why we eat latkes on Hanukkah from The Nosher.
Latke Toppings
Basil Pesto
Pear and Ginger Compote
Applesauce
Cranberry Applesauce
Doughnuts and Other Fried Treats
Jelly Doughnuts
Sfenj (Moroccan Hanukkah doughnuts)
Peanut Butter Jelly Doughnuts
Bimuelos, honey drizzled fritter
Pumpkin Bimuelos
Chocolate Babka Doughnuts
Gulab Juman (Indian milky doughnuts)
Air Fryer Jelly Doughnuts
Cranberry Challah Doughnuts
Gluten-Free Churros for Hanukkah
Russian Apple Piroshki
Zangula (Sweet Iraqi Funnel Cake)
Read about the history of Hanukkah doughnuts from The Nosher.
Savory Fried Foods
Torzelli, deep-fried curly endive
Tostones, fried plantains
Mozzarella in Carrozza, a fried cheese sandwich
Beer-Battered Pumpkin Rings
Onion and Chickpea Fritters
Click here for eight more Jewish fried foods from around the world to enjoy during Hanukkah.
Non-Fried Hanukkah Desserts
Ultimate Hanukkah Cookies
Jelly-Filled “Sufganiyot” Cupcakes
Lemon Olive Oil Cupcakes
Bourban Pecan and Chocolate Gelt Pie
Spiced Hot Chocolate, made with leftover Hanukkah gelt
Blue Crinkle Hanukkah Cookies
Click here for more Hanukkah recipes from The Nosher.
Explore Hanukkah’s history, global traditions, food and more with My Jewish Learning’s “All About Hanukkah” email series. Sign up to take a journey through Hanukkah and go deeper into the Festival of Lights.
Hanukkah
Pronounced: KHAH-nuh-kah, also ha-new-KAH, an eight-day festival commemorating the Maccabees’ victory over the Greeks and subsequent rededication of the temple. Falls in the Hebrew month of Kislev, which usually corresponds with December.
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