There’s barely a week until Purim with its child-centered activities, silliness, drama and food. We think of hamantaschen-Haman’s pockets- but there are other Purim treats.
Gil Marks’s superb Encyclopedia of Jewish Food relates the origins of the iconic Purim cookie. Its triangular shape may have represented the pockets where Haman hid his bribes. The mystics said that the three corners stand for the three patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The filling is like the hidden presence of God who never appears in the Megillah. And the poppy seeds that traditionally went into the filling refer to Esther’s vegetarian diet.
However, as Marks goes on to explain, there are many other Purim food traditions. The index has well over thirty items listed including soup, chick peas and tortellini.
In The Jewish Holiday Baker Joan Nathan, the doyenne of American Jewish cookbook writers, lists five very different pastries for Purim.
Today inventive cooks have taken the humble hamantasch and created endless variations on the dough and fillings. How about a Pretzel Bagel Dog Hamantasch?
Or for breakfast or a Kiddush around Purim, there’s a Bagel, Lox and Cream Cheese Hamantasch.
Or for those obsessed with Girl Scout Thin Mints, there’s the Midnight Mint Hamantasch.
And if bread is more your taste, in Russia bakers would make a long, thin braided challah loaf to represent the rope with which Haman was hanged as punishment for his misdeeds.
The varieties are endless as are the hints for making the perfect Purim treat.
But Purim is not only about food. It’s also about integrity and bravery as many of the more recent books show. Today’s Purim stories for children emphasize the risks that characters take and how the bad guy-or in some cases- big bad wolf is outwitted.
And to make the holiday really up-to-date- Rabbi Denise Handlarski said “If you read the Megillah, it’s quite clear that Vashti was victimized in all kind of ways, much like we see with some of the things that have been happening recently. But we have also seen throughout history, when a woman stands up for herself, there are unfavorable consequences.” Vashti is the first woman to say “Me, Too!” by refusing to appear at the king’s banquet wearing lonely her crown.
Ah, the beauty of our stories and texts that are flexible enough to still be relevant today.
Books to read:
Marks, Encyclopedia of Jewish Food is a comprehensive guide to Jewish food and includes recipes.
Nathan, The Jewish Holiday Baker has a chapter for all the major holidays.
Balsley, The Queen who Saved her People tells the story in cartoon form and speech balloons.
Cuyler, Purim Chicken must be brave when the star of the Purim show goes missing.
Milhander, Not for All the Hamantaschen in Town reinterprets the Three Little Pigs story.
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