Question: What is the traditional Hanukkah menu for Chanukah?

Answer:

A typical Chanukah menu sounds as though it were planned by the under-twelve crowd: potato pancakes, fried, of course, in lots of oil; sweet cream cheese rugelach; strawberry jam–filled doughnuts (sufganiyot) covered in powdered sugar; fried apple fritters; cheese-filled doughnuts fried in oil and dipped in honey; cheese blintzes; etc. (Sounds delicious to me, an over-twelve person!)

Is it all just a ploy to keep kids lingering around the candles and enjoying a family meal? Not at all!

Chanukah food traditions have their origins in the first years that the holiday was celebrated, and are meant as a reminder of certain miracles associated with the events of Chanukah itself. And of course, remembering the miracles and the freedom that are celebrated adds a special flavor to everything that is served...