Rosh Hashanah Food and Blessings!

CHALLAH at me, and let's celebrate a sweet new year! L'shana tova!

Rosh Hashanah is here! September 15-17, 2023! In Judaism, Rosh Hashanah is both the celebration of the Jewish New Year and the start of the High Holidays. It’s a time of reflection, forgiveness, and fresh starts. Festivities include prayer services, the blowing of the “shofar,” a musical instrument made from the horn of a ram, and, of course, food!

The foods traditionally shared during Rosh Hashanah, known as simanim, are highly symbolic and generally accompanied by a blessing. Specific foods and blessings vary across households, but there are key themes:

Sweet foods represent prosperity: 

• Apples & Honey for a sweet year ahead! 

This simple, seasonal dish is the one that’s most closely associated with Rosh Hashanah. Find apple picking and honey that's local to you!

•  Pomegranates for good deeds as numerous as the pomegranate’s seeds! 

In Judaism, the pomegranate also symbolizes knowledge and wisdom. Not sure how to de-seed a pomegranate? Try this hack!

• Round Challah – may this bread, with neither beginning nor end, remind us of the continuity of life! 

For other occasions, challah is more commonly prepared as a braided load. (And Apple Carrot Raisin Challah Knots is a Sticky Fingers Cooking favorite!)

Dishes served with whole heads symbolize fertility and abundance:

• Whole Roasted Fish, Cabbage, or Garlic – may we be like the head and not like the tail!

          The sentiment here is that it’s better to move forward than to lag behind. (Never tried roasting garlic? TikTok to the rescue!)

While others symbolize protection from bad things:

• Leeks or Dates – may we be protected from our demons and enemies!

            Why leeks and dates? Because in Aramaic the words for leeks and dates sound like the words for cut and destroy. 

 L'shana Tovah – Happy New Year! 

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