 ClassicHanukkahsufganiyot | |
| Alternative names | Sufganiot |
|---|---|
| Type | Jelly doughnut |
| Place of origin | Central Europe |
| Main ingredients | Dough, jelly filling, powdered sugar |
Sufganiyah (Hebrew:סופגנייה orסופגניה,Hebrew:[ˌsufɡaniˈja];pl.:sufganiyot, Hebrew:סופגניות,Hebrew:[ˌsufɡaniˈjot], or in Yiddishpontshkeפּאָנטשקע) is a roundjelly doughnut eaten around the world during theJewish festival ofHanukkah. The doughnut is deep-fried, injected withjam orcustard, and then topped withpowdered sugar. The doughnut recipe originated in Europe in the 16th century, and by the 19th century was known as aBerliner in Germany and aReligieuse in France.Polish Jews, who called it aponchki, fried the doughnut inschmaltz rather thanlard due tokashrut laws. Theponchik was brought toIsrael by Polish Jewish immigrants, where it was renamed thesufganiyah based on theTalmud's description of a "spongy dough".
On Hanukkah,Jews observe the custom of eating fried foods in commemoration of themiracle associated with theTemple oil.[1] The tradition of eating deep-fried pastries on Hanukkah was considered ancient even in the time of the 12th-century rabbiMaimonides, whose father, Rabbi Maimon ben Yosef, wrote that "one must not make light of the custom of eatingsofganim [fritters] on Chanukah. It is a custom of theKadmonim [the ancient ones]". Thesesofganim were likely syrup-soaked fried cakes, akin to modernzalabiya in theArab world.[2]
The Hebrew wordsufganiyah is aneologism for pastry, based on theTalmudic wordssofgan andsfogga, which refer to a "spongy dough".[3] The word is built on the same root as the Modern Hebrew word for sponge (ספוג,sfog), which is derived fromKoinē Greek:σπόγγος,romanized: spóngos.[4][5]Sfenj, aMoroccan doughnut, comes from the same root.[6]
A popular Israelifolktale holds that the word "sufganiyah" comes from the Hebrew expression "Sof Gan Yud-Heh" ("סוף גן יה"), meaning "the end of the Garden of theLord" (referring to theGarden of Eden). According to the legend, whenAdam and Eve were cast out of the Garden by the Lord, He cheered them up by feeding themsufganiyot. No known commentator on theTanakh supports this interpretation.[6][2]
According to food historianGil Marks, the recipe for a filled jelly doughnut was first published in a 1485 cookbook inNuremberg. The "Gefüllte Krapfen" consisted of "a bit of jam sandwiched between two rounds of yeast bread dough and deep-fried in lard". This doughnut became popular in northern European countries from Denmark to Russia during the 16th century. In 19th-century Germany it began to be called aBerliner or a Bismarck, after German ChancellorOtto von Bismarck.[7]
AmongPolish Jews, the jelly doughnut was fried in oil orschmaltz rather than lard, due tokashrut laws. In Poland, these doughnuts were known asponchkis. Polish Jewish immigrants toMandatory Palestine brought along their recipe as well as the tradition of eating them on Hanukkah. InIsrael, however, they took on a new name—sufganiyot—based on the Talmud's description of a "spongy dough" (see theEtymology section).[7]
Theponchik-stylesufganiyah was originally made from two circles of dough surrounding a jelly filling, stuck together and fried in one piece.[8] Although this method is still practiced, an easier technique commonly used today is to deep-fry whole balls of dough, and then inject them with a filling through a baker's syringe (or a special industrial machine).[2]
Modern-daysufganiyot in Israel are made from sweet yeast dough, filled with plain red jelly (usually strawberry,[9] sometimes raspberry), and topped with powdered sugar. Fancier versions are stuffed withdulce de leche, chocolate cream, vanilla cream, cappuccino,[10]halva, creme espresso,chocolate truffle,[7] oraraq, and topped with various extravagant toppings, from coconut shavings and tiny vials of liquor tomeringue and fruit pastes.[11] In 2014 one Jerusalem bakery producedsufganiyah dough saturated with flavoredvodka.[12]
In 2016, Israeli bakeries began downsizingsufganiyot to appeal to health-conscious consumers, following an anti-junk food campaign by Health MinisterYaakov Litzman.[13] The usual 100-gram (3.5 oz) size, packing 400 to 600 calories (1,700 to 2,500 kJ),[10] now appears in 50-gram (1.8 oz) size with different fillings and toppings, earning the name "mini".[14]
Until the 1920s,sufganiyot andlatkes were of comparable popularity among Jews inMandatory Palestine during the Hanukkah holiday. TheHistadrut, Israel's national labor union, formed in 1920, pushed to replace the homemade latke with thesufganiyah as Israel's quintessential Hanukkah food to provide more work for its members. Commercial bakeries began sellingsufganiyot days and weeks before Hanukkah began, lengthening the employment period. Their effort was successful, andsufganiyot became the most popular food for Hanukkah in Israel.[a][3][6][2][7] By the 21st century, more Israeli Jews report eatingsufganiyot on Hanukkah than fasting onYom Kippur.[2][17]
Todaysufganiyot are sold by Israeli bakeries as early as September.[18]Angel Bakeries, the largest bakery in Israel, reportedly fries up more than 25,000sufganiyot every day during the eight-day Hanukkah festival itself. Each batch uses 100 kg (220 lb) of dough and makes 1,600sufganiyot.[19] Local newspapers add to the excitement by rating the "bestsufganiyah in town".[18][11][20]
TheMinistry of Defense buys upwards of 400,000sufganiyot for its soldiers each Hanukkah.[21][22] As the troops overwhelmingly prefer jelly-filled doughnuts, the Defense Ministry purchases 80% with jelly filling and 20% with chocolate filling.[22]
Sufganiyot are a relatively recent introduction to the United States, wherelatkes are the traditional Hanukkah food.[23] According toGil Marks, latke was still the dominant choice in American Jewish homes in 2012.[23] RabbiLevi Shemtov in 2019 said, "Latkes used to dominate in the U.S., while doughnuts dominated in Israel. Now, I think both are equally popular in the U.S."[24]
Thesufganiyah was introduced by American Jews who had visited or studied in Israel, and by Israeli Jews who had settled in the U.S. Whilesufganiyot were not commercially available in the United States before the 1970s, today bakeries in many Jewish communities sellsufganiyot, as do non-kosher bakeries.[23][24] The doughnut chainsDunkin' Donuts andKrispy Kreme purveysufganiyot in theirkosher-certified outlets.[23][24]
Sufganiyot are also sold in kosher shops in Europe. Smaller Jewish communities in Russia and Ukraine organize special "community bakes" to preparesufganiyot for school and kindergarten parties.[25]
Savorysufganiyot also exist. In 2018,The Jerusalem Post reported on a new trend of savorysufganiyot inManhattan eateries, in which the dough is filled with chickenschnitzel, lamb bacon, liver, or pastrami.[26] Other savory varieties include:
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