Happy Hanukkah! Thursday evening marked the start of the Jewish holiday, which will last for eight nights. The Jewish festival of lights is typically celebrated by lighting the menorah each night, reciting a prayer, playing the dreidel game, and feasting on latkes. Hanukkah commemorates the victory of the Maccabees over the Seleucids in the 2nd century BC and the recapturing of the holy temple in Jerusalem. Latkes symbolize the rekindling of the sacred, oil burning menorah in the temple. In honor of the holiday, I thought I’d share my family’s recipe for latkes. My mom’s former coworker, Elly, gave her this recipe, and it’s hard to beat.
Although the Jewish population in West Virginia has declined over the years, Jews were one of the prominent ethnic groups during the first half of the 20th century. From 1880-1914, a couple million Jews emigrated from Europe and settled in the United States. Many Jewish immigrants moved to bustling cities, but a smaller population of Jews planted roots in small towns and took advantage of entrepreneurial opportunities absent in big cities. Like many Central and Eastern Europeans, they settled in the coalfields of West Virginia. Kinship networks also drew entire families to West Virginia after an initial person or couple found prosperity there. Jews contributed to the diversity of the coalfield areas, which were also populated with immigrants from across Europe, as well as African Americans. West Virginia is often treated as a homogeneously white, Bible belt state, but its history complicates that idea. Recognizing the history of Jews in West Virginia is one way of exploring the diversity of a state that is often treated as permanently, inevitably homogeneous. Continuing to acknowledge the presence of minority groups in the state and not consistently defaulting to the majority is one of the everyday practices that contradicts the perceived homogeneity of the state. I hope to write more about the experiences and contributions of Jews in Appalachia in the future, but for now, please enjoy this festive recipe in the spirit of Hanukkah!
Ingredients:
4-5 Idaho or Russet potatoes ¼ cup matzo meal (or flour)
1 large onion salt and pepper
1 large egg Vegetable oil (I think Wesson oil soaks up less oil)
Instructions:
- Wash the potatoes, and peel them if the skin is thick (*I never peel them).
- Grate the onion and potatoes on a hand grater or in the food processor. Drain the water but try to maintain some of the starch.
- Place the potato and onion in a bowl and add the eggs, matzo meal, and salt and pepper.
- Heat 1” of oil in a large frying pan. Drop in approx. 2 TBSP. of mixture for each latke. I squeeze out the extra water and flatten them a bit before putting them in the hot oil. I add salt and pepper to each one. As the bottom starts to get crisp and golden, turn them over. Replenish oil when needed but make sure it’s hot before adding more potato mixture.
- Drain on brown paper bag covered in paper towels.
- Serve with apple sauce or sour cream, if desired.
Those look amazing! I can almost smell them!