Hanukkah Food Gifts

Fried potato pancakes ("latkes") are a special Hanukkah food.

Almost every Jewish holiday has some type of special food, and Hanukkah is no exception. Foods cooked in oil are especially favored, from jelly-filled doughnuts (sufganiyot) to fried potato latkes (pancakes), in commemoration of the oil that burned in the Temple candelabrum for eight days. With some creativity, you can create a Hanukkah food gift that will please every palate.

Traditional Food Gifts

A traditional theme would be a gift basket containing homemade (or store bought) potato latkes, some sufganiyot, candles, a driedel (spinning top) or two, some chocolate gold coins, and some nice ribboning or tissue paper. Dress up your gift basket nicely, and deliver.

Dairy Food Gifts

Dairy foods are also eaten on Hanukkah, in commemoration of Judith's victory over Holofernes, which involved salty cheese. Decorate and fill your gift basket with all types of dairy goods such as cheese latkes, sour cream, atayef (cheese-stuffed Syrian pancakes), spiced hot chocolate (use Hanukkah chocolate coins). Decorate the gift basket and deliver.

Dreidel Theme

An adorable Hanukkah gift basket can be made by creating edible dreidels (spinning tops). Stick a toothpick into a big marshmallow, so that it pops out the other side. Then cover a chocolate kiss with icing (preferably the color of the marshmallow) and attach the chocolate kiss upside down to one end of the toothpick. Use the icing to label the four sides of the dreidel with the appropriate Hebrew letters (see Resources). Place a few in a box with other desired food items and send to your loved one.

Cookies

When in doubt, bake or buy cookies in traditional Hanukkah shapes, including the driedel (top), Jewish star and candelabrum. Alternatively, make them all in one shape and then decorate the tops with these symbols in colored icing.

References

• My Jewish Learning: Hanukkah Foods
• The Nibble: Best Chanukah Gourmet Foods
• My Jewish Learning: Women as Role Models: Judith and Holofernes

Resources

• Aish: Chanukah
• My Jewish Learning: How to Play Dreidel