Jelly Donuts: Spilled Milk #280

A Hanukkah staple—and just a great fried treat!

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Jelly donuts and a 2,200-year-old rebellion are joined at the hip. How does that happen?

Let’s go back to the 2nd century BCE. You know I love history.

Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, commemorates the miraculous events surrounding the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire. And I celebrate that by eating jelly donuts and lots of potato pancakes.

Here are ton of great holiday recipes, and here some of my Chrismukkah recipes. This is my oldest potato pancake recipe. These days I use less mash and more long julienne of baking potatoes.

I digress, let’s get back to the ancient world.

The causal event centers on the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabees, a group of Jewish rebels, successfully fought against their oppressors. In 164 BCE, the Maccabees reclaimed the temple and found a small flask of oil that had remained sealed and uncontaminated, enough to light the temple's menorah—a seven-branched candelabrum—for just one day.

Miraculously, this oil lasted for eight days, allowing time for the preparation of more oil. THAT is the origin of the eight day celebration of Hanukkah. Jump ahead to today, Jewish families light candles each night, one additional candle on a menorah every evening, culminating in all eight candles being lit by the eighth night. This act symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness and faith over oppression.

That story, rooted in lamp oil but oil nevertheless, is why fried foods play such a significant role in the Hanukkah celebration, serving as an edible reminder of the miracle in the temple. The most popular dish in American Jewish homes are latkes (potato pancakes), but in Israel, sufganiyot (jelly-filled donuts) are eaten for weeks leading up to and including the actual eight nights. Eating these fried foods is how I connect with my heritage, celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah and enjoy festive meals with friends and family. The oil not only represents the divine intervention that sustained my people during their time of struggle but also serves as a delicious reminder of the holiday’s lasting significance.

So that’s why I make latkes on the first night and jelly donuts on the second, and then I keep going all week long.

Recipe: Jelly Donuts