All over the world, people celebrate a holiday or other festive occasion by eating certain foods that serve as a symbol of the meaning of the holiday. Food customs associated with the Jewish holidays are very similar among Jews everywhere in the world, which is quite striking that when you consider that Jewish life and culture was scattered for 2,000 years into many isolated communities in different countries spread across entire continents.
Take the celebration of Rosh Hashanah, for example: similar food customs have become so much a traditional part of that particular holiday for so many generations that the original significance is often lost to those sitting down to the abundance of a typical 21st century Rosh Hashanah table.
It is interesting to note that the origin of the foods eaten during the celebration of Rosh Hashanah dates all the way back to the Talmud – the writings of the sages that were recorded during the first few centuries after the Jewish Diaspora. The key sentence is this: ”… at the beginning of each year, each person should accustom himself to eat gourds, fenugreek, leeks, beets and dates…’”
Added to these items over the years were other foods symbolizing plenty, sweetness, and blessings. Honey is so universally found on the Rosh Hashanah table that it’s simply a “must-have” – accompanied by challah or an apple to be dipped into it. Pomegranates and figs are other favorite fruits, and may be served in a variety of ways – fresh, dried, or as ingredients of a sauce for the entrée.
As for vegetables, there are several on the sweet side — in addition to those mentioned above – which are very popular as accompaniments to any kosher food that is offered as a main dish. Top on the list: carrots! A whole cookbook could probably be written focusing solely on this colorful vegetable.
But let’s not forget the main dish itself: abundance is one of the qualities we want to represent on this holiday — slow-roasted meats are a great choice.
You can get your meat entrée by ordering online; Debbie Slutsker ordered hers from The Kosher Express last year, and later wrote:
We tried your brisket on Rosh Hashanah. It was a beautiful piece of meat with little fat. It cooked very nicely, roasting at 300 degrees for about 3 hours. It was really really good. We all loved it. So I will be ordering brisket from you for sure!
