It’s Hanukkah time! Hanukkah is observed to commemorate the victory of the Maccabees, a Jewish guerrilla force in Judea, over their oppressors, the Syrian Greeks, in the second century BC. The Hanukkah dinner celebration includes delicious dishes and is also celebrated in India by Indian Jews.
Significance of Oil
Before diving right into the dishes, let us know the significance of this festival and how it leads to the preparation of fried items.
The holy oil used to light the holy menorah (candelabra) was tainted by the Syrian-Greek army during their conquest of Jerusalem’s Second Temple. There was very little oil left that was pure enough to use when the Maccabees took back the temple. This is what they used to light the menorah, but amazingly, it was sufficient to sustain the fires for the eight days it required to get fresh anointing oil. Hanukkah commemorates both this miracle and the Second Temple’s rededication.
In Jewish tradition, oil is very important, especially olive oil. Because it always rises to the top of whatever it is combined with, it is thought to represent the pinnacle of human wisdom. And it is believed that the purest and best quality of all is wisdom acquired from the sacred texts. Oil has a long history of being used at the rededication of the Second Temple and is now a staple of Hanukkah festivities.
This explains why, throughout the eight days of Hanukkah, fried foods are a mainstay.
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10 Dishes Served On Hanukkah Dinner In India
Here are some dishes that are served at Hanukkah dinner in India.
1. Latkes
Latkes, or potato pancakes, and sufganiyot, or jelly-filled doughnuts, are traditionally made in the West for the Hanukkah feast. However, the Jewish communities in India’s Northeast, West Bengal, Kerala, and Maharashtra have combined the significance of these celebratory delicacies with local influences.
2. Jelly-Filled Donuts
These jelly-filled doughnuts are to die for. The soft outer cover and the blast of jelly are some things that make this dish super special.
3. Bombil Fry
Bombil fry is a traditional Indian dish and it is prepared by marinating Bombay Duck or Lizard Fish. It is then fried carefully to strike a balance between soft and crispy.
The Hanukkah cuisine of the Bene Israelis in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra is likely to include samosas, fried fish like bombil, bhajiyas, and pakoras. They also make sat padar puri.
4. Sat Padar Puri
Saat Padar Puri, as its name suggests is a seven-layered, deep-fried, crescent-shaped pastry with a filling of semolina, almonds, and cardamom.
5. Ariselu
This dish is mainly made during winter and that’s why is on the Indian Hanukkah menu. Sesame seeds are the star ingredient which gives flavour and are also warm in nature.
Jews from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh rely on ariselu (similar to the anarsa), purnalu (dumplings made of rice flour, jaggery, dals, and dry fruits), and pakam (medu vada-like doughnuts) to sweeten their Hanukkah menu.
6. Purnalu
Purnalu is a sweet dumpling made by stuffing rice flour with a mixture of jaggery.
7. Piyaju
Piyaju is a type of onion or cauliflower fritter (with a chickpea flour base) made by Kolkata Jews.
8. Neyyappam
Neyyappam or also known as unni appam is one of the most loved sweet dishes in the South. It is a sweet rice dumpling which made by steaming it.
Pakoras and vadas are staple foods for Kochi and Baghdadi Jews in Kerala, but they also enjoy fried treats like neyyappam and pazham pozhi.
9. Pazham Pozhi
Pazham Pozhi is a very famous Kerala snack, basically banana fritters, which are made using the long Kerala banana known as nendra pazham.
10. Jam Donuts
The cuisine of the Jewish populations in the states of Mizoram and Manipur is largely influenced by Western cuisine, with baked goods competing for table space with sweet pancakes and jam doughnuts.
The more savoury fried meals are represented by the ubiquitous pakoras and potato chips. The variety of Hanukkah cuisine found in India is a symbol of the Jewish communities’ absorption into the areas and communities they have lived in for many centuries.
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Which of these have you tried?
Cover Image Courtesy: Canva
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