Haroset: Pesach's Master Mix
Nathan, Joan
Who is not familiar with the four questions asked at Passover? But what about the fifth? Is haroset, that tasty, crunchy fruit and nut mixture, essential to the seder meal, or is it not? Some rabbis...
...The Greeks of Salonica add raisins to the basic recipe...
...They wonder why, despite its great appeal, haroset has not yet been marketed by Manischewitz, Goodmans or Rokeach...
...When the mixture is cohesive, stir in the cherry jam...
...As for the clay-like substance, what could be better to use than fresh nuts, or, if nuts are too expensive, matzah meal...
...Once more, locale determines the variety...
...2. Blend, using a food processor if you like, until you reach the desired consistency...
...Makes about 5 cups...
...the acrid taste, therefore, must have come originally from a date palm, grapevine, pomegranate or quince tree...
...Combine the dates and nuts and then blend well...
...Turkish Jews include an orange...
...Continue stirring...
...Grind the nuts in a food processor or blender...
...Simmer over a low fire, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon...
...2. Add the wine and vinegar until a pasty consistency is reached...
...Accordingly, it seems that haroset was meant to allay the bitterness of the horseradish...
...In Egypt the wine and ginger are omitted but to ? cup dates are added in 1 cup raisins, 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts or pecans...
...Mix with ginger and a little wine...
...Whereas the ingredients of Ashkenazic haroset are quite universal (so that the final product differs only texturally), haroset of the Sephardic Jew changes according to the country and sometimes the city of origin...
...Joan Nathan is the author of The Jewish Holiday Kitchen, Schocken, 1979, and The Flavor of Jerusalem, Little, Brown & Co., 1975...
...Persians opt for wine, cayenne, cloves, cardamom, black pepper and cinnamon...
...Each cook is wise enough to make much more than the prescribed ceremonial Babylonian dip to be used with horseradish...
...To the Moment/57 almonds and walnuts that were used originally (and which still predominate in Eastern Europe), Italians have added chestnuts and pine nuts, while in North Africa, pine nuts are used exlcusively...
...Some rabbis say that this symbol Of the mortar which our forefathers used to build the cities of Ramses and Pithom in Egypt is not necessary...
...Note: I like my haroset in large pieces, with a crunchy texture, but my husband's Polish family prefers theirs ground to a paste...
...Makes about 5 cups...
...3. Add the spices and blend well...
...Makes 2? cups...
...From The Jewish Holiday Kitchen SEVEN FRUIT HAROSET FROM SURINAM 8 ounces unsweetened coconut 8 ounces walnuts, chopped, or almonds, grated ? cup sugar 1 tablespoon cinnamon 8 ounces raisins 8 ounces dried apples 8 ounces dried prunes 8 ounces dried apricots 8 ounces dried pears 4 ounces cherry jam Sweet red wine 1. Combine everything except the jam and wine in a large, heavy pot...
...From The Jewish Holiday Kitchen PERSIAN HAROSET 25 dates, pitted and diced ? cup unsalted pistachio nuts ? cup almonds ? cup yellow raisins ? apples, peeled, cored, and diced seeds of 1 pomegranate 1 orange, peeled and diced 1 banana, sliced ? to 1 cup sweet red wine ? cup cider vinegar ? tablespoon cayenne 1 tablespoon ground cloves 1 tablespoon ground cardamom 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon black pepper 1. Combine all the fruits and nuts...
...The custom of eating haroset originated with the Babylonians, who would dip their foods in relishes or sauces to add flavor...
...Let stand until cool...
...The Talmud tells us that true haroset must have two properties— one that is acrid and one similar to clay in substance and color...
...A third property of haroset is its seasoning or coloring, which should make the paste a reddish color like the clay found in Egypt...
...The ingredients changed in Eastern Europe to local fare—apples, nuts, matzah meal and cinnamon...
...the color of haroset resembles the reddish tone of clay in Egypt...
...Others, more inclined to indulge their culinary yearnings, want to know why we eat haroset only on this night and not on any other night...
...In whatever manner haroset is prepared, one thing is certain...
...The traditional Ashkenazic seasonings are red wine, cinnamon and perhaps a little sugar...
...Adjust seasonings...
...Each Israeli uses the Diaspora haroset recipe of his ancestors or an Israeli version that might include pignolia, bananas, apples, dates, sesame seeds, matzah meal and red wine...
...Egyptians use dates, nuts, raisins and sugar without the ginger and wine, while the Yemenite version features chopped dates and figs, coriander and chili pepper...
...In Turkey oranges are added...
...Chill...
...VENETIAN HAROSET FROM THE LUZZATTO FAMILY 1? cups chestnut paste 10 ounces dates, chopped 12 ounces figs, chopped 2 tablespoons poppy seeds ? cup chopped walnuts ? cup chopped almonds ? cup pine nuts Grated rind of 1 orange ? cup white raisins ? cup chopped dried apricots ? cup brandy Honey to bind Combine all the ingredients, gradually adding just enough brandy and honey to make the mixture bind...
...Makes about 3 cups...
...Some think it is also a reminder of the blood shed in making the bricks...
...Note: In Salonica raisins are added to the above...
...Haroset is eaten at the seder after the first and third matzot are removed...
...After the seder is completed, haroset is used as a delectable addition to breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks throughout the Passover week...
...Everyone knows that Delicious, Stayman or Winesap apples were not to be found in ancient Israel or Babylonia...
...2. Cook for at least 90 minutes...
...As in everything Jewish, there are many opinions surrounding the origins and the true recipe for haroset, although we do know that "heres" means clay...
...An interesting haroset from Venice includes chestnut paste and apricots, while one from Surinam, Dutch Guiana, calls for seven fruits including coconut...
...2. Spread on matzah at Passover with romaine lettuce...
...3. Add enough sweet wine to be absorbed by the haroset mixture...
...North Africans use ginger or other pungent spices...
...There is a legend which relates that Hebrew women would give birth to infants under the apple tree and therefore be hidden from the Egyptians...
...Haroset, probably more than any other food, shows how Jewish cookery was developed by the emigration from Mediterranean countries where fruits such as grapes, dates, figs, olives, apricots, pomegranates and almonds, which grew in ancient Israel, were available...
...The acrid taste recalls the apple tree: "Under the apple tree I awakened thee," we read in The Song of Songs, a reminder of the spring season...
...Makes about 4 cups...
...Yemenites add chili pepper and coriander...
...A combination of haroset and maror spread between two matzot produces the sandwich attributed to Rabbi Hillel, the great Jewish teacher who lived between 90 BCE and 70 CE...
...Israelis, in the land of succulent Jaffa oranges, add candied orange peel and sugar...
...From The Jewish Holiday Kitchen STANDARD ASHKENAZIC APPLE-NUT HAROSET 6 apples, peeled and coarsely chopped 1/3 cup chopped almonds 2 tablespoons sugar ? teaspoon cinnamon Grated rind of 1 lemon 1 tablespoon sweet red wine 1. Combine all ingredients, mixing together thoroughly...
...STANDARD SEPHARDIC HAROSET FROM THE ISLAND OF RHODES 2 cups pitted dates 1 cup walnuts ? teaspoon ginger 2 tablespoons sweet red wine (or to taste) 1. Soak the dates for 3 to 4 hours and then simmer for 20 minutes...
...Add a little more wine as needed...
...Add small amounts of water periodically, so that the mixture does not stick to the pot...
...In any event, Eastern Europeans used the apples that were available to them while Sephardim used raisin and dates...
...They say that only the "Pesach" (the offering), the "matzah" (the unleavened bread), and the "Maror" (the bitter herbs) are the gastronomic sine qua nons...
...Add water to cover...
...And I went down into the garden of nuts," from The Song of Songs, is again a link to the spring season...
...On the island of Rhodes, for example, dates, walnuts, ginger and sweet wine are used...
...It is, after all, one of the few truly delicious Jewish dishes, one that even children can prepare...
Vol. 5 • March 1980 • No. 3
