Hamantaschen

Hamantaschen

A hamantash (also spelled hamentasch, homentash, homentasch, (h)umentash, pluralized with -en or -n {sometimes singular is spelled this way also}; Yiddish המן־טאַש) is a pastry in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine recognizable for its three-cornered shape. The shape is achieved by folding in the sides of a circular piece of dough, with a filling placed in the center. It is traditionally eaten during the Jewish holiday of Purim. While occasionally seen other times of year in secular contexts, this is not traditional. Hamantashen are made with many different fillings, including poppy seed (the oldest and most traditional variety), prunes, nut, date, apricot, apple, fruit preserves, cherry, chocolate, dulce de leche, halva, or even caramel or cheese. Their formation varies from hard pastry to soft doughy casings.   The name hamantash (המן־טאַש), is commonly known as a reference to Haman, the villain of Purim, as described in the Book of Esther. The pastries are supposed to symbolize the defeated enemy of the Jewish people, and thus resemble the "ears of Haman". Another possible source of the name is a folk etymology: the original Yiddish word מאָן־טאַשן (montashn) or German word mohntaschen, both meaning poppyseed-filled pouches, was transformed to Hamantaschen, likely by association with Haman. In Israel, they are called Oznei Haman (Hebrew: אוזני המן‎), Hebrew for "Haman's ears" in reference to their defeated enemy's ears.     Three Hamantashen. At top: Poppy seed. Bottom left: Raspberry. Right: Apricot.Some Hebrew schools teach that Hamantashen are made in the shape of Haman's hat.

Yield: depends on thickness of dough and size of cookie; usually several dozen

Combine oil, water and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla.

Add flour mixture. Mix well and refrigerate overnight.

Roll out, using more flour if necessary to prevent sticking. Use 3" cup to cut out rounds. Put 1 tbsp. of your favorite filling in the middle and fold up, making three corners.

Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes or until golden brown. This recipe is good for kids, because all their playing will not ruin the dough. Add flour whenever necessary.

Poster's Notes:

The filling I use is the jar of prune butter (lekvar). I dilute it with lemon juice and add lots of chopped nuts. This is great for teachers to use with kids. No amount of the kids playing with the dough can ruin it. I gave it to a friend who used it for her nursery class and the hamantaschen came out delicious. I won't even experiment with another one.

The Purim story begins about 900 years after the Exodus from Egypt. The Jews had been living in Israel continually, since they first entered with Joshua. For 410 years, King Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem had been the focal point of Jewish spiritual and national life in Israel. The first major tragedy that the Jews of this era experienced was the division of the country into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judea. The northern kingdom was populated by ten of the twelve tribes. It was eventually invaded by the Assyrians under Sennacherib, who exiled the Jews. Sennacherib’s policy of forced exile and assimilation directly caused the loss of the ten tribes to the Jewish people.