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The origin of many Jewish foods is quite complex and it is often fair to say that they have come about through a combination of ancient customs and cultural influences. All festivals have their own traditional recipes with sweet apple and honey during Rosh Hashanah, gefilte fish at Passover and Hamantashan at Purim. Hanukkah is no exception with a variety of foods symbolising this time of celebration and triumph.

In short, Hanukkah is all about fried foods, not because we all want to have high cholesterol but to celebrate the miracle of oil in the Ancient Temple. The holiday of Hanukkah originated when Judah the Maccabee and his followers (or army if you like) reclaimed the temple in the village of Modi'in from the Syrian King Antiochus. The temple was cleansed and prepared for rededication, hence the name Hanukkah meaning dedication.'

When the sacred temple Menorah was relit it was found that there was only enough oil to burn for one day. However, according to tradition, the oil miraculously lasted for eight days until more could be found. There are some conspiracy theories as to this being a miracle' like some suggesting that only an eighth of the oil was used each day but it would rather take away the magic if any of these were to be believed. Either way, this is why fried food is a Hanukkah tradition.

The most popular fried food is the latke and it is quite common to hear people wax lyrical about the crispy potato pancake concoction. The potato itself doesn't really bear any link to Hanukkah and it is more for the oil in which it is fried to commemorate the miracle. Many people say that the fried potato dish originated as a seasonal European food that was simply embraced by the Jewish community.

Many people will swear that their mother or grandmother make the greatest latkes on the face of the earth but generally, most Jewish cookbooks will have incredibly similar recipes. They are quite easy to make with a mix of grated potatoes, onion, egg and a pinch of matzah meal. Although they are quite pleasant to eat plain, latke's can be spiced up a little with some sour cream or apple sauce and many Oriental Jews will add sugar too.

Of course, latkes are not the only fried food that one can eating during Hanukkah. As long as the food is cooked in oil to represent the miracle, it can be used as part of the tradition. A popular alternative or perhaps a food eating as well as latkes are jelly doughnuts, known as sufganiot. Many communities have developed their own variations

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