Community Corner

The Festival of Fried Food

Hanukkah is as much a celebration of oil as light, and that means fried food.

On Hanukkah, the story goes, oil that was supposed to last for just one night lasted for eight, and thus, the dreidle proclaims, "A great miracle happened here."

As we celebrate the abundant oil in eight days of candles, we also celebrate it in food—fried food. Latkes and jelly doughnuts are particular Hanukkah specialties, but any fried food is considered a celebration of the miracle of Hanukkah.

Last night, my husband, Aaron, and I invited friends to our home to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah. We worked together to shred potatoes and make latke batter, and then Aaron valoriously stood by the smoking oil for over an hour, turning out hot potato pancakes that were gobbled up immediately.

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We make the latke batter using Mark Bittman's recipe; take a look at the slideshow for our steps. And share in the comments your latke tips and holiday memories.


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