Hannukkah is a holiday of 8 days and we often call it the Festival of Lights. It celebrates the Jewish religion and the maintenance of Jewish culture from the second-century onwards. Most importantly it appears to fall on dates between early November and late December because it must mark the 25th day of the month of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar. The reason for the differences in dates is because the Hebrew calendar depends on a lunar cycle. These dates change from year to year rather like Easter because of the changes that occurred to the Gregorian calendar.
The festival celebrates the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem. A group of Jewish warriors defeated the occupying Greek armies at the time
An alternative word for Hanukkah is Chanukah.
Rather like Thanksgiving and Christmas, it is a time for family and friends to come together. It is blessed with gift giving along with consumption of many traditional Hanukkah foods. The most famous of these are the substantial potato latkes.
Latkes
Latkes are shallow-fried pancakes which are prepared from grated potato, flour and egg. They are fried to a golden and crunchy consistency. There is a either a savoury or sweet stance to them as sour cream or apple sauce (or both) are added.
Ingredients
Preparation
- Peel and grate potatoes and onion.
- Transfer to a sieve or kitchen towel and squeeze out excess water.
- In a large bowl, combine grated mixture, egg, baking powder, flour, and salt.
- Warm a thin layer of oil (about 2 tablespoons) in a large, heavy skillet over moderate heat.
- Drop batter into skillet one heaping spoonful at a time (but don’t crowd the pan).
- Flatten gently; don’t push potatoes too hard into oil. (Each latke should be about 2 inches wide.)
- Fry in batches, turning once, 4 minutes per side or until golden brown.
- Drain on paper towels and season well with salt and pepper.
- Add some sour cream or apple sauce, garnish with fresh chives, and serve immediately.
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