 | |
| Alternative names | duqqa,dukah,dukeh |
|---|---|
| Course | Sweet relish |
| Place of origin | Land of Israel |
| Region or state | Jewish Diaspora,Ashkenaz,Sepharad,Israel |
| Main ingredients | Apples,pears,raisins,figs,orange juice,red wine,pine nuts andcinnamon |
| Variations | Dates,walnuts,sesame,wine vinegar,cinnamon,black pepper,marjoram |
Charoset[a] is a sweet, dark-colored mixture of finely chopped fruits and nuts eaten at thePassover Seder. According to theTalmud, its color and texture are meant to recall mortar (or mud used to makeadobe bricks), which theIsraelites used when they wereenslaved inAncient Egypt, as mentioned in TractatePesahim 116a of theTalmud. The word comes from the Hebrew word for clay (Hebrew:חֶרֶס,romanized: ḥéres).[1]
Charoset is one of the symbolic foods on thePassover Seder plate. After reciting the blessings, and eating firstmaror dipped incharoset and then amatzah "Hillel sandwich" (with two matzot) combiningcharoset andmaror, people often eat the remainder spread onmatzah.[1][2]
Charoset is mentioned in theMishna in connection with the items placed on the Passover table: "unleavened bread and lettuce andcharoset". Some say it can be traced back to the custom ofsymposia in ancient Greece, where philosophical discussions were accompanied by drinking large quantities of wine and consuming foods dipped into mixtures of pounded nuts and spices.[3]
There are many recipes forcharoset. Many include at least some of the fruits and spices mentioned in theSong of Songs: apples2-3, figs2-13, pomegranates4-3, grapes2-15, walnuts6-11, dates7-7 with the addition of wine1-2, saffron4-14 and cinnamon4-14.[4] According to Jonathan Brumberg-Kraus "the influence of Persian culinary preferences on Jews living in the medieval Islamic empires probably reinforced this 'Song of Songs' flavor profile.[5]
The spices used vary among cultures; Yemenites use cloves and pepper, while American Jews typically use cinnamon. In Italy, Venetian Jews have been known to addchestnuts andpine nuts.Halek is a variation made byPersian Jews using dates instead of apples.[6] Locally grown blueberries are added to the traditional recipe inMaine.[7]
Sephardicharoset is a paste made ofraisins,figs anddates.[8]
Egyptian Jews make it from dates, raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, and sweet wine.[9]
Greek andTurkish Jews use apples, dates, chopped almonds, and wine.Italian Jews add chestnuts.
Suriname Jews add coconut.[6]
Iraqi Jews make it from a mixture of dates and nuts.
Yihye Bashiri (17th century) described the manner in which thecharoset was made in Yemen:
They take figs or raisins or dates, and pound them into the consistency of dough. They then put vinegar thereto, and add spices. Some there are who put groundsesame seeds into this admixture. On the night of the Passover, a person is required to put therein whole spices that have not been ground; either two or three seeds ofvalerian (Arabic:sunbul), or sprigs ofmarjoram [alternatively: wild thyme ] (Arabic:za'tar), orsavory (Arabic:hasha), or things similar to them, so that it will resemble straw in mortar—in remembrance of that thing by which our fathers were enslaved in Egypt, seeing that it is like unto bricks and straw.[10]
InYemenite Jewish tradition, thecharoset is also calleddukeh (Hebrew:דוכה), a name also referred to as such in theJerusalem Talmud.[11]
Not all Jews use the termcharoset. Some of the Jews of the Middle East instead use the term "halegh". The origin ofhalegh is not clear. RavSaadia Gaon uses the word and attributes it to a kind of walnut that was a mandatory ingredient in the preparation of thehalegh.
Parts of theJewish Diaspora inIran have a tradition of including 40 different ingredients in thehalegh. The number 40 signifies the 40 years of wandering in the desert.
Eastern European (orAshkenazi)charoset is made from chopped walnuts andapples, spiced withcinnamon and sweet redwine.Honey orsugar may be added as a sweetener and binder. The mixture is not cooked.
In 2015Ben & Jerry's Charoset ice cream became widely available in Israel and was covered in several major news outlets.[12][13][14][15][16][17]
Leftover charoset is commonly eaten with matzah, but it can also be used as a filling for hand pies.[18]
