Today is: 07.25.2008
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Mise En Place with Chef Donna-Holiday Traditions |
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The holiday season is a time when many of us associate specific foods and meals to the season. Foods such as Latkes, a pancake of grated potato fried in oil prepared during Hanukkah, have specific religious influence. This reminds us of the miracle of the oil which burned for eight days when the Maccabees purified and rededicated the holy Temple in Jerusalem. Other traditions are based purely on cultural roots and upbringing. Customs such as “seven fishes” on Christmas Eve for those of Italian descent and sweets of panettone and torrone are commonly served during the holiday season. Those of Scandinavian heritage start the Christmas season at the onset of Advent, the four weeks before Christmas, with the Eve of Christmas reserved for the most lavish meal of the year. Elaborate cookies and cakes are prepared with ingredients such as ginger and cloves, and the traditional holiday beverage of glögg, a hot alcoholic punch, is served.
At New Year’s, it is customary for those of Spanish and Portuguese birthright to eat 12 grapes or raisins at the 12 strokes of midnight to bring luck for each month of the coming year. Eating pickled herring as the first bite of the New Year is believed to bring good luck to those of Polish decent. Fast forward to 2005; holiday food traditions are ever changing due to the absence of the almighty time factor. Many families thwart timeless tradition, yielding to updated versions due to either family recipes lost long ago, or the inability to dedicate long hours to preparation. Tradition is important for several reasons; Tradition reminds us of where we are from and where our roots are placed. Traditional foods allow us to transcend to a time long ago, perhaps when Nana wore an apron, arms elbow-deep in dough, with the sweet smell of artfully decorated cookies baking, tasting as good as they looked. We look forward to holiday foods, preciously reserved for this time of year, yielding way to an opinion of something cherished and leaving us longing for more. Holiday food traditions can be long-standing, or something you can create within your own family. They can be as simple as making slice and bake cookies with the kiddies, or as elaborate as a sumptuous feast with all the trimmings. Whatever their meaning to us, they are part of what binds us to the holiday with which and with whom we celebrate. This allows us to reflect on memories past, while continuing the ritual for future generations. So share your holiday food traditions with your family. Explain why you eat the foods you do at this time of year. Talk to the elders of the family to understand the history behind these customs, or better yet, collect recipes from them! Start your own food traditions, so that you and your loved ones can look forward to them for holidays for years to come. And remember during this season of giving, the gift of tradition is one of immeasurable, and everlasting value. Happy Holidays!***Are you culinary curious? Need help finding a recipe? Is there a food or cuisine you would like to be featured in an upcoming edition of Currents Magazine? Please contact
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