23 Celebratory Hanukkah Recipes (2024)

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What are 5 traditional Hanukkah foods? ›

The eight days of Hanukkah are observed with the lighting of a menorah after sundown and meals featuring foods challah bread, kugel, potato latkes, jelly doughnuts called sufganiyot, and festive drinks. Fried foods recall the miracle at the Temple of Jerusalem, when a day's worth of oil lasted eight nights.

You could say Sephardic food is the original Mediterranean fusion cuisine. 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.

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.

Perhaps the most common traditional Hanukkah food found on the tables of Jewish families are potato pancakes, sometimes called latkes or levivot. Jews fill their holiday spreads with oil-fried foods during the holiday to commemorate the oil that lasted for eight days.

"By the 14th century, there's quite a strong tradition that people eat cheese on Hanukkah and it's associated with Judith giving cheese to the enemy to make him drunk," Weingarten says.

From latkes to sufganiyot, we eat fried food on Hanukkah to remember the ancient oil miracle. Throughout the eight days of Hanukkah, Jewish families like mine celebrate by eating latkes (fried potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (fried jelly doughnuts).

Traditional foods include potato latkes, applesauce and brisket. Spinning the dreidel (a four-sided top) for “Hanukkah gelt” (gold-wrapped chocolate coins) is another part of the celebration. Your host might appreciate gifts of chocolate, gourmet applesauce, candles, books or board games.

Smoked Salmon and Latkes

As fried foods are often the theme during Hanukkah, latkes represent a classic. Already an Acme Smoked Fish Hanukkah favorite, the addition of smoked salmon, crème fraiche, red onion, and capers make this Hanukkah dish feel like the holiday on a plate.

What food is a symbol of Hanukkah? ›

Symbolic Foods

Most of these traditional foods are fried in oil, symbolic of the oil that lasted eight days. Others contain cheese to celebrate Judith's victory. Three popular foods eaten on the Jewish holidays include loukoumades, pancakes, and latkes.

HANUKKAH FOODS AROUND THE WORLD

Latkes (LAHT-kuhs): These fried pancakes, typically made from grated potatoes and served with sour cream and/or applesauce, are a Hanukkah staple. Culinary tradition includes latkes made from other ingredients, including cheese and leeks, or other vegetables.