These Crispy, Golden-Brown Latkes Are The Only Recipe You Need For Your Hanukkah Celebration (2024)

FAQs

What is the significance of the latkes for Hanukkah? ›

These potato pancakes (called latkes) are meant to symbolize the miracle of Hanukkah, when the oil of the menorah in the ransacked Second Temple of Jerusalem was able to stay aflame for eight days even though there was only enough oil for one day. The symbolism comes in the form of the oil in which latkes are fried.

As the potato became popular in eastern Europe, it was quickly adopted to the point that today, latke is almost synonymous with potatoes. The latke is traditionally prepared during the Hanukkah holiday to commemorate the miracle of the oil in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem lasting eight days.

By the way, you don't have to be Jewish or actually celebrate Hanukkah to love latkes. These crispy little potato pancakes make a wonderful appetizer or a great side dish all year long.

Night 2: Make a feast to last you through the week—with latkes and applesauce, jelly doughnuts (we can't guarantee these will last much longer than tomorrow at breakfast), and brisket.

In Hebrew, Hanukkah means “dedication,” and the holiday marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BC, after a small group of Jewish fighters liberated it from occupying foreign forces.

Hanukkah is a Jewish festival that reaffirms the ideals of Judaism and commemorates in particular the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem by the lighting of candles on each day of the festival.

Since fried latkes are significantly higher in fat and calories, I recommend baking them since you can use less oil. Don't worry, they're still crispy and delicious when you bake them! In this healthy latke recipe, I also added zucchini and carrots for extra nutrients and fiber.

Originally from the Peruvian-Bolivian Andes Mountains, the potato wasn't incorporated into the Eastern European Jewish diet until the eighteen and nineteenth centuries. Historically, Jews in Central and Southern Europe cooked kaese (cheese) latkes, and Jews in Eastern Europe made latkes from buckwheat or rye flour.

Latkes are basically Jewish hash browns. Traditionally served around Hanukkah (our Festival of Lights), these shallow-fried potato pancakes can be dressed up or served simply as a perfect comfort food.

Latkes, one of the best known of all Hanukkah foods, can be made in many different ways. The basic recipe for this delicious side dish includes just grated potatoes, eggs, and salt. The ingredients are mixed together, formed into circular patties, and fried in oil.

Can you eat bacon during Hanukkah? ›

The kosher laws also impact what Jews eat. There is no pork or shellfish allowed, and Jews will not mix meat and dairy in the same meal, so if a chicken is on the table, you won't find butter or cheese.

"Among other rules, eating certain animals, primarily pigs and shellfish, is forbidden; meat must be ritually and humanely slaughtered; and dairy and meat aren't to be eaten at the same meal." Fish and plant foods are "neutral" (parve) and can be eaten with either meat or dairy.

And even though you may see some favorite Jewish foods like brisket, roasted chicken, bagels, smoked salmon, or kugel served at a Hanukkah meal, none of these foods have a specific tie to the holiday itself.

Fried foods, like potato pancakes and jelly doughnuts, are prepared and eaten throughout the holiday to celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah: oil that kept the menorah (an ancient lamp) lit for 8 days instead of the 1 day it was supposed to last.

Challah. This quintessential Jewish bread, representative of manna sent by God to sustain the Jews as they wandered the desert in Biblical times, is easily recognized on a standard Hanukkah table.

Called sufganiyot in Hebrew, this confection is a Chanukah treat throughout the Jewish world. Deep-fried jelly doughnuts recall the oil that burned miraculously for eight days in the second-century BCE Temple in Jerusalem.

Choosing the right oil makes all the difference between latkes that are golden and savory and ones that end up oily and rancid. Using schmaltz, aka rendered chicken fat, is the traditional way to fry latkes, imparting a rich flavor to the potato pancakes.

Speaking of oil, eating food fried during Hanukkah is considered a symbol of the oil used to light the menorah. Hence, jelly donuts. Known in Hebrew as sufganiyot (the singular is sufganiyah), Hanukkah donuts were the brainchild of the Israeli labor group Histradut in the '20s, in what was then British-run Palestine.

Although there was barely enough oil for one day's light, it burned miraculously for eight, giving the soldiers time to rededicate the temple and give it back to the Jewish people. To pay homage to the oil, during Hanukkah, Jews eat fried foods.