 Hamantasch is a cookie in Jewish cuisine recognizable for its 3-cornered shape. It is eaten during the Jewish holiday of Purim. Traditional fillings are poppy seeds (Yiddish mon) or prune, but they are made with many different flavors, including date or apricot. For children, parents sometimes make chocolate-filled Hamantaschen. Also see: Purim Hamantaschen
Hamantaschen are generally made by rolling the dough thin, cutting it into circles (of various sizes), placing filling in the center, and folding in three sides. The dough is generally a cookie dough, usually made with non-dairy products, with orange juice and/or rind added. Sometimes a yeast dough is used instead.
The hamantasch symbolizes the three-cornered hat that Haman wore.
It is thought that they were originally called mon-taschen (Yiddish "poppy seed pockets") but modern legend has it that Haman, the villain of Purim, wore a triangular hat. In Israel, they are called Oznei Haman (Hebrew for "Haman's ears"). Hamantasch (also spelled hamentash, homentasch, homentash, pluralized with -en) |
