Potato latkes, or potato pancakes, are a favorite Hanukkah food. They are made with potatoes, onions and flour, bread crumbs or matzah meal and fried in oil. Latkes are often served with applesauce, or sour cream. A typical Hanukkah menu might include latkes, jelly doughnuts called "sufganiot", cabbage soup and a roast. And don't forget the Hanukkah "gelt" (chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil) for the children afterwards! Although Hanukkah means "dedication" and actually commemorates the rededication of the Temple, it is also known as "The Festival of Lights" because of the miracle surrounding the oil in the Temple lampstand. Jewish families light the hanukkiyah (Hanukkah menorah) every evening and enjoy the lovely light cast by its glowing candles while eating the traditional foods. The Miracle of the Lights occurred over 2,000 years ago, but the traditions of Hanukkah perpetuate its memory and make its celebration timeless.
Thank you for sharing all this information. I had no idea that potato pancakes were a favorite food. My mom always made them after Christmas or Thanksgiving because we had extra mashed potatoes. :)
I would love to have them right now!!!. aren't they made from raw grated potatoes ..at least that's the way I make them....oh so good with applecause..never tried sour cream..but will now.
@mrssmith Thank you Carla! You're welcome on the info- I've always enjoyed the connection between my faith and its roots. I don't think the Jewish people have a corner market on potato pancakes. I remember my mom making them from extra mashed potatoes too. @bruni Thanks Bruni- I think this style can be made from either cooked or raw- but the recipes I was looking at were all cooked, but not too soft. The nicest thing about this shot was being able to enjoy the subject matter for lunch! @kerristephens Thanks Kerri! @karenann Thanks Karenann- I decided to keep the same type of processing for the whole week- so it's the posterize effect with a little more degree of detail in it so that the dreidels don't get lost in the shadows.
i never had potato pancakes, at least i don't think. it sounds interesting. great shot here, ann. and yes, keeping the processing same as previous ones makes it more interesting.
@digitalrn Thanks Rick! My mom did that too- I'm sure every culture that has potatoes in their diet makes some form of them. @summerfield Thanks Summerfield! You can buy them in the supermarket- usually in the frozen section. I'm sure that's not as good as homemade, but it sure is convenient!
@bkbinthecity Thank you bkb! They were! @alia_801 Thanks Alia- each shot seemed to lend itself to that processing to different degrees and I liked how it made each single shot into a cohesive whole.
@eyetoeye Thank you Maria! @espyetta Thank you MaryBeth!
Thank you both- it's a busy week for everyone, so I really appreciate you taking the time to comment!
@cimes1 Thank you Carole. At first I was going to do each picture differently (with the menorah candles in each one) but I ended up wanting them to have a cohesiveness to them besides just the same subject and the posterize effect worked really well for that. Fun thing was that in using it so much I discovered the different ways you can adjust its intensity and detail.
@bruni Thanks Bruni- I think this style can be made from either cooked or raw- but the recipes I was looking at were all cooked, but not too soft. The nicest thing about this shot was being able to enjoy the subject matter for lunch!
@kerristephens Thanks Kerri!
@karenann Thanks Karenann- I decided to keep the same type of processing for the whole week- so it's the posterize effect with a little more degree of detail in it so that the dreidels don't get lost in the shadows.
@summerfield Thanks Summerfield! You can buy them in the supermarket- usually in the frozen section. I'm sure that's not as good as homemade, but it sure is convenient!
@alia_801 Thanks Alia- each shot seemed to lend itself to that processing to different degrees and I liked how it made each single shot into a cohesive whole.
@espyetta Thank you MaryBeth!
Thank you both- it's a busy week for everyone, so I really appreciate you taking the time to comment!