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ByZoë
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We are the World
• The Jewish people are all over the world. There
are Chinese Jews, Argentinian Jews, Spanish Jews,
Australian Jews, Ethiopian Jews, Indian Jews… You
name it!
• Jewish traditions combine with the flavor of
culture unique to a country to create a rich blend
of heritage and faith.
• There are many Jewish holidays and therefore
much food diversity to discuss. For this
presentation, I have chosen Shavuot, Hanukkah,
and Passover.
Shavuot 101
• Each Shavuot, the Jewish people renew their
acceptance of God’s gift of the Torah on Mount Sinai
over 3300 years ago. We pledge everlasting loyalty,
and God promises eternal devotion in return.
• Shavuot means “weeks”. It counts seven weeks from
the end of Passover.
• In ancient times- bikkurim. Bringing the best of your
harvest to God.
• Customary to eat dairy foods, because when we
received the Torah, the Jewish people couldn’t have
meat since the pots had not been kashered (purified
in the kosher manner)
Traditional Shavuot Food
• Dairy foods, because when the Israelites received
the Torah, there was no kosher meat available
• Creamy pasta dishes- see above about dairy
• Dessert!!! (because the Torah is compared to
honey)
• Cheesecake and blintzes are the most popular. :D
• Fruits and veggies, like fancy salad variations, as
Shavuot celebrates the harvest
Shavuot Food in Persia
• Polao mastin- dish made of rice and milk.
Think the Spanish dessert arroz con leche.
• Kotcha shiri- a special traditional dairy cake
Shavuot Food in Greece
• Sutlag- special dairy porridge made with
cinnamon. Kind of like arroz con leche meets
cream of wheat cereal.
Shavuot Food in Poland
• One. Word.
CHEESECAKE!
Shavuot Food in Iraq
• Sambusak- a savory pastry filled with cheese
Shavuot Food in Libya
Shavuot Food in Libya
• Necklaces strung with cookies or pretzels in
symbolic shapes are made by parents for the
children
Hanukkah 101
• Quick summary- the Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks) oppressed
the Israelites, commanding them to renounce their faith
• A small band of Jews named the Macabees after their
leader Judah Macabee (meaning hammer) defeated the
Greek army with God’s help
• The Greeks had destroyed the holy temple and unpurified it
with a pig sacrifice. The Jews purified the temple and
rededicated it.
• When they wanted to light the menorah, they only found
enough oil for one day. But miraculously , it lasted for eight
days.
• This is where we get the sentence that the Hebrew letters
on the dreidel stand for: A great miracle happened there.
• Celebrates light over darkness, purity over adulteration,
and spirituality over materiality
Traditional Hanukkah Food
• Latkes- fried potato pancakes. Served with sour
cream or applesauce. (For the health-conscious
party pooper, non-traditional lakes can be made
from veggies. -_- )
• Gelt- chocolate coins
• Sufganiyot- jelly doughnuts traditionally from
Israel. Usually coated in confectioner’s sugar.
• Lots of fried food commemorating the oil that lit
the menorah for eight days and nights instead of
one
Hanukkah Food in Libya and Morocco
• Sfenz- sufganiyot with an exotic
twist: filled with orange peel,
finely chopped almonds and
orange-flower water; dipped in
syrup of sugar, vanilla, lemon
juice and orange-flower water
Hanukkah Food in Greece
• Burmuelos- variation of sufganiyot: deep-fried
fritters also served with a syrup made of
honey, sugar, and water
Hanukkah Food in Italy
• Zeppoles- variation on sufganiyot: similar to
the French beignets of New Orleans, but are
chewier, like pizza dough. Sprinkled with the
classic powdered sugar.
Hanukkah Food in Syria
• Atayef- traditionally an
Arab dessert, in which
the batter is only cooked
on one side, then filled
with cheese or mixed
nuts, raisins, powdered
sugar, vanilla extract,
and cinnamon. The
Hanukkah variation
treats it like a latke and
deep-fries it, or (rarely)
bakes it and serves it
with hot syrup or honey.
Passover!
The Passover Story
• Celebrates the liberation of the Jews from slavery under the Egyptian
Pharaoh by God.
• Pharaoh, afraid of the Jews’ strength and intelligence, orders every baby
boy born to the Israelites killed. The parents of Moses tell his sister
Miriam to put him in a basket in the river in order to avoid this, and the
Pharaoh’s daughter finds him and raises him as the Egyptian prince.
• God speaks to him through the form of a burning bush and tells him who
he is once he is grown. 10 plagues are sent through Moses from God to
the Egyptians when the Pharaoh refuses to free the Israelites. During the
last plague, every first-born son dies (including the Pharaoh’s). However,
the Israelites had been warned by Moses and smeared lamb blood on
their doorposts as he instructed. The Angel of Death, seeing the mark,
passed over the Jewish homes and did not kill the sons. The Pharaoh,
grief-stricken at his son’s death, frees them.
• But he changes their mind as they are about to cross the Red Sea and
sends his army after them. Then a miracle happens: Moses raises his staff
and God hears his plea and parts the Red Sea. The Israelites cross in
safety, but the water closes on the Egyptians, drowning them.
Basic Components of Passover
• Seder- Family and friends read the Haggadah in
a service and at intervals eat ceremonial foods
or break for the finding of the Afikomen.
• No chametz- leavened bread- allowed for all 8
days of Passover. Matzah only.
Traditional Passover Food
• Matzah-ball soup
• Seder plate:
– egg: symbolizes spring and fertility; Christians got the
Easter egg from this!
– shank bone: symbolizes Paschal sacrifice for the Angel of
Death
– bitter herbs (maror): remind us of the bitterness of slavery
– charoset- chopped apple/nuts/wine; reminds us of mortar
and brick when we were slaves
– karpas- vegetable, usually parsley; we dip it in saltwater to
remind us of the tears we shed
• 4 cups of wine!
• matzah
Passover Food in Argentina
• Special Argentinian delicacy – albondigas de
papas (meatball and potato dish)
• Avocado and lettuce salad
• Variant: spinach in matzah balls
• Very important to the Argentinians not to
have any element of the seder purchased
from stores. Even the gefilte fish (sort of like
pickled fish cakes- tastes better than it
sounds) is made by hand!
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Passover Food in India
Charoset
contains raisins,
dates,
sesame
Passover
Food
in and
India
paste
Molagachi- mahogany chicken with black pepper
Ellegal- spice-rubbed fish in cool herb salsa
Malasachi- mutton braised with garlic and
coriander
Appam- coconut crepes with date sauce
Seder plate: includes date jam with walnuts, lime
juice, celery instead of parsley
Rice, which by Ashkenazi Jews is considered
hametz, is allowed
Passover Food in Spain
• Olive oil used for all Pesach foods
• Lots of legumes such as lentils, soybean, rice,
corn, chickpeas, green peas, green beans
• Charoset includes dates, apricots, oranges,
pistachios, pine nuts, and coconuts
• Huevos haminado- eggs slow-roasted in onion
skins
• The American classic brisket is replaced with
roast lamb
• Pan de Samita- variation on matzah
Thanks for traveling with the
Jew Crew!
We are the World