It’s one the great debates of the Chanukah season: so controversial that it’s been argued in the hallowed halls of the world’s great academic institutions by Nobel laureates of many disciplines without resolution. No, it’s not the controversy over whether Chanukah’s real miracle was a small vessel of sanctified olive oil that somehow lasted for eight days or that a small band of religious zealots somehow managed to prevail over the Syrian-Greek army. The debate isn’t even over whether the it’s called a “menorah” or a “chanukia,” which in the grand scheme of things is a mere generational difference of opinion.
No friends, the greatest debate is much more serious, and like much
cultural squabbling, it’s over food. Now, Chanukah food in and of itself, can be highly controversial. Everyone agrees that Chanukah foods must be full of oil—specifically olive oil to “recall the miracle.” But which oil-soaked food item to serve is a matter of regional differences of opinion.
In Israel, people serve sufganiyot. Exotic as this tasty little treat sounds, sufganiyot are simply jelly-filled donuts. Here in the U.S., potato pancakes are the popular choice, served up, crisp and light with your choice of applesauce or sour cream. To be authentic, these pancakes, called “latkes” is Yiddish, must be fried in olive oil and consumed in large quantities in order to properly recall the miracle of the oil. To avoid conflict, many people serve both sufganiyot and latkes—all the better to remember the miracle of the oil.
No, the controversy of which I speak has been known to split families, academic departments and more than one marriage. It is, my friends, the Great Latke vs. Hamentashen Debate. And it has come to Blogcritics. In case you are unfamiliar with the pastry known as hamantashen (literally, in Yiddish “Haman’s pockets”), they are triangular cookie or sweet-bread pockets filled with fruit or poppy seed confection.
As some might cynically argue, latkes and hamantashen don’t even reside in the same holiday, let alone the same season; that there’s no argument to be had. True, latkes are consumed in the dark of winter during Chanukah and hamentashen in the early days of spring during Purim. But that doesn’t matter when Jewish epicurean pride is at stake.
So, every year at about this time, academics, college students (and the occasional middle-aged writer) participate in what has become the eternal (or infernal) debate about which is superior: latkes or hamantashen?
Article comments
1 - Jerome Wetzel
I am not Jewish. I am unfamiliar with this debate entirely. However, your article was as informative as it was entertaining. Hilarious! I will certainly be passing a link on to friends and family.
2 - barbara barnett
Thanks Jerome. I attended my first "debate" when I was in college, and have tried duplicating it outside academe. Not quite the same. Glad you liked the piece.
3 - Ruvy
Barbara,
Fun article. Oh, but so woefully misguided. The term Hanukkia (describing the nine "flowered" candelabra for Hanukkah lights) is coming into more common use simply because more Jewish kids know that "menora" is merely a lamp - any lamp - in Hebrew. When you don't know any Hebrew (like I didn't as a kid), any Hebrew term for anything will do. This is a more fussy era, as Hebrew is taught even in "reform synagogues" these days.
As for the debate over the food, it also manages to ignore what is now the center of Jewish life - Israel. Latkes are nice (well, sorta nice - they were what I ate the night before my heart attack in Dec. 2003), but what more and more symbolizes Hanukkah is the sufganyot, the badly made jelly "doughnuts" (not greasy, but barely any jelly in 'em!) that are commonly served up here in Israel during Hanukkah. As for "hamantashen", (Haman's pockets) they are more and more viewed as "oznei haman" - Haman's ears - again reflecting the growing Israeli and Hebrew influence in our culture.
This debate belongs to the exile, and to the children of Yiddish speaking immigrants to America. The Yiddish speaking immigrants are mostly dead, the children are getting old and the grandchildren and great grandchildren are marrying gentiles and forgetting who they are altogether.
By the way, while I'm enjoying tearing apart American Jewish culture (or rather, what little remains of it), I'm also enjoying some French toast, courtesy of my wife's efforts over a frying pan.
Happy Hanukkah to you and yours, and welcome to the end of the comment process....
4 - barbara barnett
I'm neither old nor uninformed, Ruvy. My yiddish is marginal, yet to dismiss the beauty of Yiddish culture would be an affront to the generations past.
The Israel I have grown up to love (and still support) would not be a welcoming place to me: a teffilin-wrapping masorti female. I have been spat upon by black-hatted adolescents noticing my tefflin strap marks walking from shacharit in S'fat and my experience is not unique. My own children are secure in their beliefs and ahavat yisrael. They have each been to Israel multiple times (and my son studied there for 5 months as a high school student). Do not lecture me on being "misguided." I am not.
A Happy Chanukah, Ruvy, to you and yours.
5 - Jon Sobel
If I may swing back to the matter at hand: I don't quite understand the debate. It's like asking which is better, pizza or chocolate?
6 - Ruvy
Barbara, I'm not telling you to move to Israel. We discussed that a long time ago, and I understand how you feel and why. And I don't generally forget stuff like that, either. And I'm glad that your children are secure in their yahadut. You are lucky. Count your blessings. With intermarriage rates of 55% and more, American Jewish culture just isn't a permanent deal anymore.
What I meant by "misguided" has nothing to do with your knowledge of Yiddish, your liking or loyalty to Israel, or anything else political or personal.
It has to do with what I said it did. The use of "Hanukkia" instead of "menora" and why - and how Israel - which is the true center of Jewish culture now - has changed and redefined a lot of how these holidays are celebrated and looked at.
Jon, this debate is one of the sillier and fun parts of American Jewish culture. And it is like asking which is better - pizza or chocolate? Jews delight in arguing things like that. And it has no serious meaning at all. If I'm lucky, I'll get some latkes this year (without the heart attack, please G-d). I don't like hamantashen. Give me cinnamon cake and coffee instead.
7 - barbara barnett
Hey Ruvy, we agree on something! It's an opportunity for parody and silliness by by stuffy academics. None of it is serious, although if you walk in on one in the middle, you might get the sense that it is.
8 - susan
In our house the debate is over latkes vs. Sephardic bimuelos, which are fried dough fritters with honey syrup. We made the latkes last night but my daughter begged for bimuelos (which I'll make tomorrow). With the latkes for the first time in my life I used the food processor - which I think of as cheating. But my kids said they were better than ever. (I usually use the shredder part of a hand grater, and end up with achy arms and grated fingers). Sufganiyot - I can't stand.
For Purim I also make hamantaschen - either with dates, or raspberry and apricot jelly or chocolate chips. BUT after the first day I end up eating all of them, when the kids and husband lose interest.
Latkes are more of a sure thing - everybody clamors for them, gets excited and eats them all.(Actually the same goes for the bimuelos so I'll call that a tie)
(The bigger question - what would Cuddy and Taub choose?!!!!!!)
As for chanukiyah vs. menora - my Israeli-born husband, and my day school educated kids call it a menora.
Ruvy's comments, while pessimistic about the future of the American Jewish community, unfortunately hit the nail on the head.
9 - Ruvy
Those bimuelos sound good, Susan! I see why they are not talked about too much here in Israel - from your description of them, they are like falafel; you have to make them fresh for them to be good. In our village here, we have few real S'faradim, (the guys who fill the S'faradi services are all from France, North Africa [but not Tangiers] Iraq/Kurdistan) or Yemen, so getting bimuelos will be a tricky business. I know this old guy from Tangiers though.... I'll ask him Sunday.
As for chanukiyah vs. menora - my Israeli-born husband, and my day school educated kids call it a menora.
I guess one cannot always be right in theories concerning language use... Oh well, back to the lab....
Hanukkah sameaH!
10 - Jon Sobel
Susan, I think the hand-grating vs. food processor debate is the more substantial. Personally, I don't think a food processor is cheating at all. For me, it would make the difference between having latkes and not having latkes!