Good Food’s Guide to Thanksgivukkah, Recipe Included!

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Thursday November 28.

Thanksgivukkah, Turkukkah, Hanugiving, whatever you want to call it, the once in a lifetime holiday mashup has spurned a campaign and rap battle (see below) from Maneschewitz, a festival in Los Angeles, and countless clever recipes that honor and meld traditional eats from both holidays. Jew and gentile alike are encouraged to celebrate.

Here’s your Thanksgivukkah FAQ from Good Food 

What is it? 

Thanksgivukkah is the convergence of the first day of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving day. Dana Gitell reportedly coined the term in  2011 after studying where Jewish holidays would fall on the calendar in upcoming years.  The holidays fall on different days each year, and they both use different calendars to determine where they fall. While Thanksgiving is determined by the Gregorian calendar, Hanukkah uses the Hebrew calendar.

Why does it matter? 

Thanksgivukkah is a once in a lifetime event and a uniquely Jewish-American holiday. Besides, we’ll take any excuse to celebrate a holiday with such culinary potential!

How can I celebrate Thanksgivukkah in LA?

thanksgivukkah festival “Light, Liberty, and Latkes”

Los Angeles will host its very own Thanksgivukkah festival on November 29 at the Pico Union Project at 1153 Valencia Street.

In the typical L.A. fashion, the event will be outdoors and offer a wide variety of food trucks including Canter’s, Kosher Palate, Bibi’s Bakery, Kosha Dillz, and many many more.

To get Thanksgivukkah-themed eats before the festival, Bibi’s bakery is serving special-edition Sufganiyot.

I want Thanksgivukkah Swag– where can I get it? 

Screen Shot 2013-11-15 at 9.14.30 AM
Courtesy of Menurkey.com(The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

The naming of the holiday– and its accompanying paraphernalia have inspired words that emulate the German tradition of lumping multiple unrelated words together.

One such word, Menurkey, is a menorah shaped like a turkey, dreamed up by a 9 year-old boy from New York who created a kickstarter campaign to realize his goal.

You can buy yours here.

There are also Thanksgivukkah T-Shirts, posters and games available at Moderntribe.com

What should I make for Thanksgivukkah?

One of the vendors of the Thanksgivukkah Festival in Los Angeles, Kosher Palate, gave us this recipe for Sweet Potato Latke with Coriander and Lemon topped with Cranberry Orange Relish and Marshmallow Fluff.