Charoset
 | |
| Alternative names | duqqa,dukah,dukeh |
|---|---|
| Course | Sweet relish |
| Place of origin | Land of Israel |
| Region or state | Jewish Diaspora,Ashkenaz,Sepharad,Israel |
| Main ingredients | Apples,pears,raisins,Figs,Orange juice,Red wine,Pine nutsandCinnamon |
| Variations | Dates,walnuts,sesame,wine vinegar,cinnamon,black pepper,marjoram |
1.Zeroa(shankbone)
2.Beitza(roasted hard-boiled egg)
3.Maror/Chazeret(horseradish)
4.Maror/Chazeret(onion)
5.Charoset
6.Karpas(parsley)
Charoset,haroset,orcharoises(Hebrew:חֲרֽוֹסֶת,romanized:ḥəróseṯ,Yiddish:חרוסת,romanized:kheróyses) is a sweet, dark-colored mixture of finely chopped fruits and nuts eaten at thePassover Seder.According to theTalmud,its color and texture are meant to recall mortar (or mud used to makeadobe bricks), which theIsraelitesused when they wereenslavedinAncient Egypt,as mentioned in TractatePesahim116a of theTalmud.The word comes from the Hebrew word for clay (Hebrew:חֶרֶס,romanized:ḥéres).[1]
Charosetis one of the symbolic foods on thePassover Seder Plate.After reciting the blessings, and eating firstmarordipped incharosetand then amatzah"Hillelsandwich "(with two matzot) combiningcharosetandmaror,people often eat the remainder spread onmatzah.[1][2]
History[edit]
Charosetis mentioned in theMishnain connection with the items placed on the Passover table: "unleavened bread and lettuce andcharoset".Some say it can be traced back to the custom ofsymposiain ancient Greece, where philosophical discussions were accompanied by drinking large quantities of wine and consuming foods dipped into mixtures of pounded nuts and spices.[3]
Variations[edit]
There are many recipes forcharoset.Many include at least some of the fruits and spices mentioned in theSong of Songs:apples2-3,figs2-13,pomegranates4-3,grapes2-15,walnuts6-11,dates7-7with the addition of wine1-2,saffron4-14and cinnamon4-14.[4]According to Jonathan Brumberg-Kraus "the influence of Persian culinary preferences on Jews living in the medieval Islamic empires probably reinforced this 'Song of Songs' flavor profile.[5]
The spices used vary among cultures; Yemenites use cloves and pepper, while American Jews typically use cinnamon. In Italy, Venetian Jews have been known to addchestnutsandpine nuts.Halekis a variation made byPersian Jewsusing dates instead of apples.[6]Locally grown blueberries are added to the traditional recipe inMaine.[7]
Sephardi traditions[edit]
Sephardicharosetis a paste made ofraisins,figsanddates.[8]
Egyptian Jewsmake it from dates, raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, and sweet wine.[9]
GreekandTurkish Jewsuse apples, dates, chopped almonds, and wine.Italian Jewsadd chestnuts.
Suriname Jewsadd coconut.[6]
Iraqi Jewsmake it from a mixture of dates and nuts.
Yemenite tradition[edit]
Yihye Bashiri(17th century) described the manner in which thecharosetwas made in Yemen:
They take figs or raisins or dates, and pound them into the consistency of dough. They then put vinegar thereto, and add spices. Some there are who put groundsesame seedsinto this admixture. On the night of the Passover, a person is required to put therein whole spices that have not been ground; either two or three seeds ofvalerian(Arabic:sunbul), or sprigs ofmarjoram[alternatively: wild thyme ] (Arabic:za'tar), orsavory(Arabic:hasha), or things similar to them, so that it will resemble straw in mortar—in remembrance of that thing by which our fathers were enslaved in Egypt, seeing that it is like unto bricks and straw.[10]
InYemenite Jewishtradition, thecharosetis also calleddukeh(Hebrew:דוכה), a name also referred to as such in theJerusalem Talmud.[11]
Mizrahitraditions[edit]
Not all Jews use the termcharoset.Some of the Jews of the Middle East instead use the term "halegh".The origin ofhaleghis not clear. RavSaadia Gaonuses the word and attributes it to a kind of walnut that was a mandatory ingredient in the preparation of thehalegh.
Parts of theJewish DiasporainIranhave a tradition of including 40 different ingredients in thehalegh.The number 40 signifies the 40 years of wandering in the desert.
Ashkenazi traditions[edit]
Eastern European(orAshkenazi)charosetis made from chopped walnuts andapples,spiced withcinnamonand sweet redwine.Honeyorsugarmay be added as a sweetener and binder. The mixture is not cooked.
Modern variations[edit]
In 2015Ben & Jerry'sCharoset ice cream became widely available in Israel and was covered in several major news outlets.[12][13][14][15][16][17]
Leftovers[edit]
Leftover charoset is commonly eaten with matzah, but it can also be used as a filling for hand pies.[18]
References[edit]
- ^ab"Seder Preparations - Jewish Tradition".yahadut.org.Retrieved2024-03-30.
- ^"03. The Seder Plate – Peninei Halakha".Retrieved2024-03-30.
- ^Joan Alpert (2013-03-25)."The sweet story of Charoset".Moment.
- ^Rabbi Arthur Waskow (2009-04-08)."Passover's R-Rated Condiment".The Washington Post.
- ^Brumberg-Kraus, Jonathan (29 October 2018).Gastronomic Judaism as Culinary Midrash.Le xing ton Books. p. 75.ISBN9781498579070.Retrieved10 September2021.
- ^abNathan, Joan (April 16, 1997)."Retracing Jewish Steps, Through Haroseth".The New York Times.
- ^"For Passover, a haroset that's made in Maine".March 28, 2018.
- ^"It's almost Passover, do you have your charoset recipe yet? We've got you covered!".Taste of Home.2022-04-05.Retrieved2024-03-30.
- ^Ducky."Egyptian Charoset Recipe - Healthy.Food".food.Retrieved2024-03-30.
- ^Yosef Hubara (ed.),Sefer Ha-Tiklāl(Tiklāl Qadmonim), Jerusalem 1964
- ^cf.Leiden Manuscript of the Jerusalem Talmud,onPesahim10:3. The text there says, with a play on words: “The members of Isse's household would say in the name of Isse: Why is it calleddūkeh?It is because she pounds (Heb.dakhah) [the spiced ingredients] with him.”
- ^"Ben & Jerry's Haroset Flavored Ice Cream".The Times of Israel.Retrieved2016-04-12.
- ^"Ben And Jerry's Sells Charoset-Flavored Ice Cream Just In Time For Passover".The Huffington Post.April 2015.Retrieved2016-04-12.
- ^"Forget Cherry Garcia. How about Ben and Jerry's Passover ice cream?".Public Radio International.Retrieved2016-04-12.
- ^"Charoset Ben & Jerry's: Who's brave enough to try?".The Jerusalem Post | JPost.Retrieved2016-04-12.
- ^JTA (2015-03-25)."Ben & Jerry's Charoset Flavor and 10 More Passover Ice Cream Ideas".Haaretz.Retrieved2016-04-12.
- ^"Charoset-flavored Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Exists in Israel, and Yes its Kosher for Passover".bustle.23 March 2015.Retrieved2016-04-12.
- ^"Recipe: Haroset Hand Pies".KCRW.12 April 2012.Retrieved10 September2021.
