Hanukkah is a time of celebrating light over darkness for the Jewish people. This is symbolized by the lighting of the menorah every night for eight days each winter (this year it begins at sundown on December 25, 2024 and ends on January 2, 2025). The holiday commemorates when the Judean army the Maccabees took back their temple in Jerusalem from Greek invaders in 167 B.C. One of the first acts they did to rededicate the temple was light its menorah, using oil that is said to have miraculously lasted eight days instead of just the one that there was enough for.
Oil, then, has also become a symbol of the holiday and various foods fried in oil have become traditional to serve during Hanukkah. These include potato latkes, also known as potato pancakes, and sufganiyot, a type of jelly-filled doughnut.
In Rome, the historic Jewish community is known for its fried delicacies year-round, especially fried artichokes, known there as Carciofi alla Giudia (“Giudia” being Italian for Jewish), but as Jewish cookbook author Leah Koenig writes, things there reach a fever-pitch around Hanukkah.
Often, other traditional Jewish foods are served alongside these fried staples, including brisket, kugel, challah and rugelach. You’ll also find foil-covered chocolate coins, or gelt, around Hanukkah, which are used as a prize in the game of dreidel, a special spinning top.
Of course, all of these delicious dishes deserved to be served alongside a well-matched wine. To help find the perfect pairings for the most
This Article was originally published on Wine Enthusiast
