Traditional and Tasty: 54 Hanukkah Recipes The Whole Family Will Love (2024)

FAQs

What is a traditional food for Hanukkah? ›

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.

Some nonreligious customs of celebration are eating treats fried in oil (which recalls the miracle of the oil), giving children gifts of money (Hanukkah gelt), and playing a game with a four-sided top called a dreidel.

Traditional Hanukkah foods are made with oil, symbolic of the oil that lasted eight days. Sufganiyot, or jelly doughnuts, can be served plain with different fillings that can be added to the doughnuts once served. Bimuelos are small fried fritters that can be covered with powdered sugar or a sweet syrup for Hanukkah.

We count cheese as a Hanukkah miracle.

Did you know that in addition to foods fried in oil, we also eat dairy on Hanukkah to commemorate the bravery of Judith? Her courage—fueled by bravery, salty cheese and wine—led to the Maccabee victory.

Did Jesus Celebrate Hanukkah? In the first century, you can imagine the excitement and festive atmosphere in the land, as the Temple stood in Jerusalem. Even Yeshua showed up for the celebration of this Feast of Dedication. It was the season of remembering a victory of a righteous priestly deliverer.

There are many ways Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah, including lighting the menorah candles, spinning the dreidel, eating fried foods, and singing traditional Hanukkah songs. Read this page to learn all about Hanukkah traditions, along with teaching tips and resources!

Families worldwide gather each year to celebrate Hanukkah. This eight-day-long holiday, rich in history and tradition, is actually considered one of the more minor Jewish holidays, but some families celebrate it with enthusiasm to honor its distinct cultural importance and give children a memorable holiday experience.

"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.

What fried foods are eaten at Hanukkah? ›

For most American Jews, that means cooking up latkes — potato pancakes fried in oil. But other cultures toss different foods into pots of boiling oil. In Austria, Jews eat deep-fried breaded meat called schnitzel, and in Morocco, Hanukkah couscous features deep-fried, rather than boiled, chicken.

There really aren't any 'traditional Hanukkah' meals, beyond the custom of eating foods fried in oil - typically either potato pancakes or sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts).

Those made for Hanukkah celebrations are known as latkes, a Yiddish word that loosely translates to “l*ttle oily thing.” They are traditionally served with sour cream and applesauce for toppings. For something sweet, a traditional dessert is sufganiyot, otherwise known as jelly donuts.

On Hanukkah, Jews observe the custom of eating fried foods in commemoration of the miracle associated with the Temple oil.

They found a jug of oil that only contained enough fuel to keep the Temple's lamps lit for one day. However, the oil lasted for eight whole days! This miracle is the reason we eat foods fried in oil to celebrate Hanukkah and remember the Maccabees.

The most traditional gift for Hanukkah is gelt, which is Yiddish for “money” — given either in the form of real money or wrapped chocolate coins. These can be used to play the popular Hanukkah game, dreidel.

However, by a miracle of God, one day's worth of oil kept the lamp burning for eight days, the time it took to get more oil. In honor of the miracle of oil, Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days and nights and foods are fried in oil.