Ha•man•tasch. [hah-muh n-tahsh, huhm-uh n-, hoo m-A] A small triangular cake often made with yeast and filled with a mixture of poppy seeds and honey with prune paste, prepared especially for the festival of Purim. Plural – Hamantaschen.

The origins of Jewish cookery fall under several categories:

1)     It fits in within the laws of Kashrut

2)     It is associated with countries that were heavily populated by Jews such as Eastern Europe and the Middle East

3)      It is symbolic to a Jewish holiday or celebration

That last category was particularly poignant when I spent the year in Israel. Contrary to living in Melbourne, where you have to remind yourself that a Jewish holiday is around the corner amidst the hum drum of every day life, living in Israel makes it difficult to forget. Throughout the month of any Jewish festival, bakeries and eateries produce en mass, the food relating to that holiday.

Hamentaschen, falling under the last category are eaten once a year on the festival of Purim. Around this time of year in Israel, you cannot avoid the smell of freshly baked Hamenstaschen on the street as you walk past any of the bakeries.

A little bit of history…

I’ve always thought the story of Purim bears semblance to a fairy-tale. There’s the king with his evil advisor ‘Haman’ who has his heart set on annihilating the Jewish nation. The beautiful Queen Esther and her loyal sidekick, Mordechai, heroically come to the rescue while Haman and his wicked sons are defeated. It definitely has the potential to become a Walt Disney Production.

Fast forward more then 2000 years. We are still celebrating this victory with costumes, reading the Book of Esther (which tells the story of Purim), eating festive meals and giving out charity and gifts. Hamentashen are often given as part of the gift, and eaten at the meal. The Hebrew translation of the word is “Oznei Haman” – Hamans ears, symbolizing our enemy. It is also thought that the triangular shape of the Hamentasch represents the three cornered hat Haman sported. Another opinion is that the original word “Montaschen” in German or Yiddish, meaning poppyseed-filled pouches, was later transformed to “Hamantaschen”, associating them with Haman. Finally, the Hamantashen symbolize the miracle that occurred when the Jews were saved from Haman. In contrast to the open miracles that the Jews were usually privileged to witness, the events that occurred on Purim weren’t as obvious. Just like the miracle was “hidden”, the filling is also hidden in the Hamentashen dough.

Spot the Nutrition…

Generally speaking, desserts don’t tend to boast much in terms of nutrition. I thought I’d focus on a few types of fillings in these colourful pockets of fun that are out there.

Poppy:

These are the most traditional versions of Hamentaschen, as poppy seeds are predominant in Eastern Europe, particularly in Germany, Hungary and Poland. Belonging to the family of nuts and seeds, poppy seeds offer protection against heart disease from their high content of essential fatty acids (linonleic and oleic acid). I often think they strongly resemble an army of ants, but they also have a low GI (glycaemic index), keeping your blood sugars level throughout the day.

Jam:

While jam isn’t the most highly recommended spread out there, I would promote using it over butter and margarine. Yes, it’s true that it has a high sugar content (from the fruit and added sugar) but also contains virtually no fat. If you were to compare a tablespoon of butter to a tablespoon of jam, the jam would have half the amount of calories. A homemade jam without added sugar is always a better option than a processed jelly-like jam, but having small amount of it in your hamentaschen isn’t really going to do you much damage.

Chocolate:

Mmm…Chocolate..say no more. But in this case I will. The cocoa in chocolate has been shown to improve our stress levels. A chemical found in the cocoa bean boosts our levels of serotonin, giving us an overall happy, relaxed demeanor. Unfortunately the dark, bitter chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa has a much better effect than the sugar loaded, milk chocolate that most of us love.


What filling do you do?