Happy Hanukka

Bible Land Latkes

What would the Maccabees have eaten on Hanukka?

Faye Levy of the Jerusalem Post speculates on the Maccabee’s Hannuka menu.

“If the Maccabees wanted to celebrate the Hanukka miracle with latkes, it´s interesting to speculate on how they could have prepared them. The word latkes, like levivot, simply means pancakes. Obviously, they couldn´t have made their latkes from potatoes, as these tubers came from Peru and weren´t available in the land of Israel in the second century BCE. But our ancestors had plenty of other choices.”

“Greens have been available in the Middle East since antiquity. In Egypt melloukhiya was a staple at the time of the pharaohs. The Israelites might have found spinach at their markets too; the word spinach is derived from Arabic and Farsi, indicating the green´s origin. Latkes of spinach, chard or other greens would have made savory entrees for the Hanukka table. Spinach pancakes and fritters have long been popular in Sephardi cuisine.”

For the entire article including interesting recipes

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1259831449941&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

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