Oil is one ingredient that dominates Jewish cooking during Chanukah. From potato latkes (grated potato pancakes) to sweet sufganiot (donuts), the miracle of the oil is thoroughly enjoyed in the Jewish kitchen. Why oil, you ask? The answers lie ahead. Read on...

Light in the Darkness
You may not realize that the Jewish holiday of Chanukah celebrates, among other things, freedom from religious and ideological persecution, freedom of belief, and the right to worship in a 'temple' or sacred space of one's choosing. It also celebrates a very special miracle that occurred in 167 BC.

When the Jewish people, led by Judah the Maccabee in 167 BC, defeated the Syrian king Antiochus and regained control of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, they found the Temple in ruin -- everything had been destroyed and desecrated by marauding Syrians. The Jews cleaned the temple and prepared to celebrate its return by relighting the 'Ner Hatamid' (literally 'the candle of eternity'). To the Jews' dismay, they found that almost all of the oil vessels in the Temple had been polluted and that there was not even enough pure oil available to light the flame until they could secure more oil. The one acceptable vial of oil held only enough oil to burn for one day. That little smidgen of oil, barely enough to last a day, ended up burning continuously for not 1, not 2, not 3, 4, 5, 6 or even 7 days, but for EIGHT days AND EIGHT nights! This allowed the Jews time to prepare new supplies of holy oil to keep the 'Ner Hatamid' burning bright. This is the miracle that Jews celebrate by lighting the menorah (Chanukah candelabrum) during the Chanukah holiday. And to this day, every Jewish temple has a 'Ner Hatamid' that burns without interruption and serves to welcome all who visit the temple.

A Lotta Latkes!
To recall the miracle of oil, Jewish people eat foods cooked in oil, such as latkes, for all 8 days of Chanukah. Give your party guests a treat and make a variety of tasty latkes using vegetables that they might not expect, like zucchini, sweet potato and carrots!

Latke making can be a long process because it is necessary to fry every pancake. To keep all of the latkes hot and crisp, keep your already-fried latkes warm in a 200 degrees F (100 degrees C) oven while you finish frying up the rest of the pancakes! Another possibility (if you would rather spend time with your guests than fry latkes throughout the entire party) is to make the latkes well in advance -- latkes freeze beautifully when layered (in an airtight container) between parchment or wax paper! You can freeze the latkes up to two weeks before the holiday and pop them (on a baking sheet) into a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 15 minutes, or when hot and sizzling -- be careful not to burn them! When reheated this way, the latkes are slightly less greasy as some of the grease has been baked off!

Dinner is Not Made on Latkes Alone!
Latkes are an important part of a Chanukah meal, but they are not meant to be served alone. Jews traditionally serve applesauce, sour cream and green onions alongside them. Have your guests spoon applesauce and/or sour cream, and sprinkle green onions onto the top of their latkes before digging in. Other dishes often served on a Chanukah table are baked chicken, kugel (noodle or potato) and salad.

Delicious Fun with the Dreidel Game!
The dreidel game is quite possibly the most widely recognized Chanukah tradition. The spinning top game has become an international symbol (along with the Menorah) for Chanukah! When Jewish people play the dreidel game, they play to win nuts or candies. While playing dreidel, it is very important to have many snacks readily available so the players won't eat their winnings before the game ends!

Dairy Desserts!
It is customary to eat dairy foods during Hanukkah in honor of the salty cheese that Judith fed to the enemy Holofernes who was keeping the Jewish city, Bethulia, under siege. The salty cheese made Holofernes so thirsty that he drank a large amount of wine. When he fell into a drunken sleep, Judith cut his head off with a sword, thus saving Bethulia! Cheesy desserts are a great way to get a celebratory dairy fix! Another dessert tradition is to make sufganiot, small deep-fried dough that is best described as a "Chanukah donut"!

Latkes
• Potato Pancakes
• Potato Latkes
• Sweet Potato Latkes
• Vegetable and Feta Latkes

Dinner
• Applesauce
• Kugel
• Apricot Chicken I
• Prune and Olive Chicken
• Applesauce Noodle Kugel
• Green Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette
• Mandarin Orange, Gorgonzola and Almond Delight

Delicious Fun
• MandelBread
• Rugelach I
• Raspberry and Apricot Rugelach
• Frosted Pecan Bites

Dairy Desserts
• New York Cheesecake III
• Chocolate Lover's Cheesecake
• Sufganiot
• Cheese Fritters
• Tiramisu II