The Jewish High Holidays are around the corner. Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year, according to the Hebrew calendar. This year, the holiday starts on the night of September 6, and includes the tradition of eating apples and honey to ensure a sweet new year, and eating a round-shaped bread called challah to symbolize the cyclical nature of the year.
A week later, there is the day of atonement, also known as Yom Kippur, where Jews fast for a day, often ending in a big feast.
Five days after Yom Kippur, the holiday of Sukkot begins, which celebrates the yearly harvest. Many Jews build a sukkah, which is an outdoor hut-like structure that is often topped with branches. During the eight-day long holiday, people will eat, commune, and sleep in those sukkahs. For this holiday, many of the foods are similar to Rosh Hashanah foods. Some families like to include the seven species of Israel: wheat, barley, figs, dates, grapes, olives, and pomegranates.
“I work with food, I write about food. But when it comes to the holidays and getting together with people, on the one hand, I like to know that there are certain foods on the table, but I’m really more busy engaging with the people I’m with,” says recipe tester/writer Julie Giuffrida.