YULE LOVE IT (Page 2 of 2)

During the consecration of the second Temple in Jerusalem, Antiochus’s Greek empire began persecuting the Jews and eventually attempted to seize control of the Temple. But Judah Maccabee led the Jews to revolt the occupation. Though they were victorious in regaining their place of worship, the Temple was ransacked. As the story goes, the Jews needed oil to kindle the lamps in order to rebuild the sanctuary and observe the Sabbath, yet only a small pot of oil was found in the rubble – an amount that was thought would only keep the lamps illuminated for one day. Instead, the oil lasted for eight days.

Though many Jewish families reflect on latkes as a source of pride, few keep their recipes to themselves. In fact, some make it a point to teach as many other friends as possible. Cohn says she has taught Jews and non-Jews alike her latke recipe and has even made television appearances to demonstrate. She remembers her mother teaching their housekeeper, who was not Jewish, how to make potato pancakes. “Every time she used to go to her reunions at her church, she’d bring potato pancakes, and people would ask her about them. It was real cute,” she reminisces.

Cohn believes toppings for latkes are just as important as the latke themselves. A traditional topping is applesauce to mix the sweet with the savory, and Cohn prefers to make her own rather than buy a jar from the store. Brody has an applesauce recipe as well, but she also provides sour cream. Oleshansky is originally from New England, and a regional combination is cranberry sauce on top of potato pancakes.

After flipping one batch of potato pancakes, Brody philosophizes on the importance of rituals – even as trivial as recipes – to the Jewish culture. “They tried to take away our tradition, but we’re not gonna let anybody do that,” she says, and even though the “they” or the time period were never specified, the axiom seems to transcend the history of all cultures who have survived any kind of persecution.

“It’s tradition, it’s heritage, it’s a way of bringing the family together. It bonds you together, and it’s handed down,” she says. “And I think, yes, part of it is the food, but part of it is the experience.”

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