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Festive foods of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur link generations
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During Rosh Hashana and the days until Yom Kippur, it is customary to go within and consider your thoughts and actions over the course of the year. Have you hurt anyone over the last 12 months? Ask for forgiveness. Have you sinned against God? Again, ask for forgiveness. Introspection may be feared and is avoided by some, but it is actually a freeing emotion. It helps you learn the motives behind your actions and the fears that cause your reactions.
Introspection draws me to the past. My father passed away 22 years ago and my mother is now bedridden and aphasic after a debilitating stroke, but when I think about this time of year, the Days of Awe, I think of my parents as vibrant, alive and together. When I was growing up, the synagogue we belonged to was just around the corner. After a traditional Rosh Hashana meal featuring sweet foods made with honey, we walked to the shul and enjoyed the evening service. If I close my eyes I can still feel my father's cotton prayershawl wrapped around me, the fringes tickling my arm, as the voice of the chazan (the cantor) fills the large sanctuary.
During Rosh Hashana, I indulge in memories of the festive meals of the past. My mother was not known for her culinary skills. My father was our family's cook. He learned the art of cooking from watching his mother, who was a caterer in the little shtetl (town) of Zolynia, Poland. I never met my grandmother, but I make her delicious chicken soup, a recipe my father taught me, which I have also given to my daughter. Generations of my family members have never met but enjoy the same recipes created by past generations. It is an unbroken link, passed down from one generation to the next, along with faith, morals and customs.
For me, Rosh Hashana is intertwined with festive foods. A round holiday challah or apples served with honey. Savory briskets roasting in the oven for hours. A tzimmes of carrots, apples, raisins and honey simmering on the stovetop. The aromatic scent of chicken soup as soon as dill is added to the pot, amazingly delicious and served with either pasta flakes or matzoh balls. The festive meal was not complete unless it was followed by honey cake, marble cake or pound cake with a nice cup of coffee or tea.
As for Yom Kippur, my parents made a traditional Shabbos meal before the fast: chicken soup, chicken, vegetables, potatoes and honey cake. The meal consumed after the fast was usually dairy, as it was quick to make, and more importantly, light to digest. Bagels with butter or cream cheese, Nova lox, herring in cream sauce, tomatoes, onions and lettuce for the sandwich. For those who prefer some hot food, potato or cheese blintzes were always on the menu. Egg lovers could have a simple omelet or just some scrambled eggs. Many of us also dined on noodle kugel made with cottage or pot cheese and raisins. But, no matter how scumptious the feast, hot coffee or tea was the first thing everyone put in their mouths, usually followed by a few bites of honey cake or challah with honey, in the hopes that a sweet year was to follow.
The holiday season draws me not only to the past but also to acknowledge the love of present friends and family. The heartfelt warmth of the season brings me to a place of gratitude for everyone in my life. May this year bring you, kind readers (no matter which religion you practice), health, happiness, prosperity, love and the gratitude to appreciate it all. Many blessings to you!
Photo credit: www.flickr.com/photos/44858181@N00/1382561576/
Courtesy of Ayala Moriel
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