Traditional Meals for Rosh Hashanah
When it comes to celebrating Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, food isn't just prepared to nourish and entertain. Instead, the food served during Rosh Hashanah--from the bread to the sides to the vegetables and the meat--is rich with tradition and symbolism. The dishes are prepared with thought and purpose, and the foods are incorporated into prayers and celebrations for the upcoming year.
Other People Are Reading
-
Honey
-
Honey is an important and symbolic ingredient in the traditional meals served during Rosh Hashanah. It represents the Jewish tradition of asking God for a year that is sweet like honey. Honey cake is a classic Rosh Hashanah dish. It is prepared with butter, honey, coffee, sugar, flour and eggs. The texture is similar to a pound cake. The cake is baked for close to an hour and cut into thick slices to serve. Another important use of honey is as a dipping sauce for apples and pomegranates.
Fruits and Vegetables
-
Fruits and vegetables play an important role in the traditional Rosh Hashanah meal. Leeks, beets, squash and dates are served during the meal and, while they are eaten, customary prayers are said over these vegetables. Other popular vegetable-based recipes include beet salad and stuffed squash. The vegetables should be prepared free of any ingredients that may give the meal a bitter flavor--including garlic, horseradish and vinegar--since doing so may taint the new year.
-
Meat or Fish
-
A main part of the Rosh Hashanah meal is the meat. Lamb or fish is typically served. According to tradition, a portion of the meat is taken from the head of the animal or fish. Doing so aligns with the Jewish prayer that the participants will stay at the "head" and not the "tail" and therefore be blessed. Fish is often used exclusively as the main part of the meal, as it symbolizes blessing.
Bread
-
Challah is the bread that is served during the traditional Rosh Hashanah meal. It is a golden, braided loaf of bread that is soft, rich and full of raisins. The challah has a shiny coating due to the egg that is spread atop it prior to baking. The crust of challah is coated with poppy seeds, which symbolize Biblical manna, the bread sent from heaven. During Rosh Hashanah, challah represents the Jewish hopes for a "sweet" year to come. It is dipped in honey prior to eating it.
-
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/liquidlibrary/Getty Images
