It can go from perfectly toasted to burned in a matter of seconds! Do pay attention, however, when toasting the farro. The toasted farro is what sets this dish apart from all other grain dishes. (Recipe adapted from Flavors of the Sun by Christine Sahadi Whelan)ĭon’t even think about skipping the first step of this recipe. If your festive meal this year will be vegetarian, both of the side dishes, along with a green salad, would make for a delicious and nutritious holiday meal.

Worldwide International Food Market in Hazelwood (for yellow dates and cactus fruit)įollowing with the fruit theme of this column, here are a few fruit-centric recipes for dishes to accompany your family’s traditional roasted chicken, brisket, or fish, and one to finish off your meal in style.

United Provisions on Delmar in the U.City Loop (for Asian pears, lychee, dragon fruit, and others).

Global Foods Market in Kirkwood (for yellow, red, and white dragon fruit, yellow dates, sapote fruit, mangosteen, and rambutan).

(for dragon fruit, and guava, and others)

So where to find those illusive “unusual” fruits?Ĭonsider visiting one of these exciting grocery stores to find your special holiday fruit: Kiwis, mangoes and papayas would have been considered “unusual” when I was a kid, but today they are standard items in the produce section of your supermarket. Look at how Judaism elevates a squishy bite to a token of commitment! ”īut these days, finding an unusual fruit is a challenging assignment indeed. Jamie Geller, the bestselling cookbook author and chief media and marketing officer at Aish HaTorah, has a lovely interpretation of this tradition: “ The very fact that we’ve sought out something new represents our deep-down desire to reinvent ourselves, to make ourselves better people in the coming year. And the way we experience it on the second night is by sampling a new or “unusual” fruit. The translation of that blessing is: “Blessed are You Eternal Spirit who has given us life, sustained us, and allowed us to arrive in this moment.” It c elebrates a new first experience, and by reciting it, we express gratitude for being present to experience that newness. To qualify as “unusual,” the fruit should be one you have never had before (or at least not eaten during the past year).Īccording to the rabbis, this tradition comes from the fact that Rosh Hashanah, unlike Hanukkah, Sukkot, Passover and the other Jewish holidays, is the only holiday where we recite the Shehecheyanu blessing on not just the first night but also on the second night. There is, however, another tradition reserved for the second night of Rosh Hashanah: following the kiddush on that night, we are supposed to sample an “unusual” fruit. Examples include carrot tzimmes, fruit-infused gravy for brisket, that iconic “Silver Palate” Chicken Marbela (a popularized Jewish American holiday dish), green salad tossed with fresh or dried fruits, and a variety of rice and other grain dishes that are cooked or garnished with dried fruits. And though certainly not as prevalent in Ashkenazi cuisine as in Sephardic cuisine, many holiday dishes contain other fruit, as well.

Those apples that we dip in honey and the sweet apple cake are symbolic of our hope for a sweet year ahead. I had always known that fruit played an important role in the Rosh Hashanah meal. Before enjoying this special feast, we lit candles, chanted the kiddush, said the hamotzi over the challah, and dipped apple slices in honey, just as many of us still do.īut, as I recently learned, on the second night of Rosh Hashanah fruit has an added significance. My mother made every part of that feast from scratch: raisin challah, Polish-style sweet gefilte fish, chicken soup with tender-filled kreplach, honey-glazed carrots, sauteed green beans, sweet-and-sour cabbage rolls, roast chicken, a colorful fruit-filled Jell-O mold, a munificent apple torte, and to-die-for chocolate-walnut rugelach. By dinnertime, our house would be filled with family, close friends and the aromas of that holiday meal. My sister Bobbie and I would get new dresses to wear to services, and our dinner table would be set with our finest embroidered tablecloth, china, crystal and specially polished silver serving dishes. I have wonderful childhood memories of our family gatherings and traditions for Rosh Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah is a beautiful holiday on its own, rich with symbolism and traditions that celebrate the New Year. 25, ushers in the 10 “Days of Awe,” which culminate with Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah, which begins at sundown Sunday, Sept. MARGI LENGA KAHN, Special to the Jewish Light

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