hamantaschen

Sunset tonight marks the start of Purim. You may be thinking, “What the heck is Purim?” Or maybe, “Bring on the hamantaschen!” Either way, this is a holiday worth sharing. The story of Purim in a nutshell is this. According to the biblical Book of Esther, Haman, the advisor to the King, plotted to annihilate all the Jews on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar. Why? Mordechai, a Jew, refused to bow down to him. Makes total sense like so much of history. After serious deliberation, Queen Esther spoke with the King on behalf of the Jewish people and informed him of Haman’s plan. The King, not knowing Queen Esther was herself a Jew, hung Haman and saved the Jewish people from extermination. Purim is now celebrated on the 14th day of Adar every year to commemorate the salvation of the Jews in ancient Persia. How is Purim celebrated? By eating, drinking and  masquerading in costume. Sounds a bit like Mardi Gras, right? Aside from the whole reading the Book of Esther part, of course. Purim has actually even been nicknamed the ‘Jewish Mardi Gras’ in the U.S. Food for thought.

So what are hamantaschen…and what do they have to do with Purim? Hamantaschen are triangle-shaped pastries made with various sweet fillings. The more traditional hamantaschen are filled with poppy seeds or prunes. Other popular fillings include fruit marmalade, nuts or cheese. Hamantaschen means ‘Haman’s pockets’ in Yiddish. Word on the street is the name represents all the bribe money Haman collected during his time as advisor to the King. Haman evidently wore a triangular hat, hence the shape of hamantaschen.

Joan Nathan is my go to for Jewish cooking. My Mom used her Jewish Holiday Cookbook religiously (no pun intended) while I was growing up and now I understand why. Boy does that woman know her Jewish food! Below is a video from Tablet Magazine of Joan Nathan making hamantaschen. It’s a good basic tutorial and if you have any questions re how to assemble the hamantaschen, check it out! Did I mention that I love Joan Nathan? Because I do.