{"id":23359,"date":"2011-12-14T17:49:35","date_gmt":"2011-12-14T17:49:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?p=23359"},"modified":"2017-04-16T06:28:18","modified_gmt":"2017-04-16T11:28:18","slug":"the-festival-of-deep-fried-oily-foods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/food\/recipes\/the-festival-of-deep-fried-oily-foods\/","title":{"rendered":"Jamie Geller on the Festival of Deep-Fried Oily Foods"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chanukah might be known as the Festival of Lights, but for cooks, it\u2019s really all about the deep-fried oily foods that become an indispensable part of our menu. I\u2019ve noticed that during this time, I smell like a fast food joint for eight days straight; you\u2019d think that I had deep fried my clothes, my shoes, everything I touch.<\/p>\n

But why do we eat fried foods?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the Geller house, because we love them, and we need no excuse to munch away. But the rest of the Jewish world has a reason \u2013 several, in fact.<\/p>\n

The simple answer is that foods fried in oil remind us of the oil that burned miraculously when the Maccabees purified and rededicated the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Latkes and sufganiot<\/em> are fried, which is why we eat those specifically on this holiday.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the Hebrew word shemen<\/em>, meaning oil, contains the same letters as shemoneh<\/em>, eight, which was the number of days that the miracle of the oil lasted. There are no coincidences in Jewish tradition, people.<\/p>\n

Mystically, both the Temple Menorah and the oil used to light it are associated with chochmah<\/em>, Torah wisdom. The war between the Greeks and the Jews was essentially a war of ideas \u2013 which culture and whose wisdom would endure? The Greeks wanted everyone under their rule to value their philosophy and think exactly as they did, so they were violently opposed to the idea of G-d\u2019s wisdom and forbad the study of Torah. Many Jews obeyed these laws and were lured from Judaism by the attractive Greek culture. But Jews devoted to Torah just as adamantly refused to give in. Both sides knew it would be a fight to the death.<\/p>\n

Well, we all know who won. We still live by the Torah, and somehow, the Greeks stopped thinking. A drop of oil symbolizes the whole thing, so it\u2019s no wonder we indulge in oily delicacies!<\/p>\n

Now it\u2019s your turn.\u00a0 Try these Cheddar Potato Latkes, then move to this fun Chopped Mexican Salad, and end with Nutella and Banana Egg Rolls \u2013 or come find more of my Quick & Kosher recipes and many community recipes on JoyofKosher.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Chopped Mexican Salad<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

6 servings<\/p>\n

\"\"Times<\/span>:<\/strong><\/h4>\n