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Tisha b'Av is a fast day with strong food traditions.

ANNABEL COHEN

Special to the Jewish News

icken and Vegetable Stir Fry

I

hate to admit this, but until
recently I really didn't know the
significance of Tisha b'Av.
Little did I know that Tisha
b'Av has several elements in common
Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of
Atonement.
Like Yom Kippur, among the
many prescribed restrictions for the
day of Tisha b'Av, with few excep-
tions, Jews must abstain from wash- -
ing clothing, wearing leather, studying
Torah, working, bathing and shaving.
And like Yom Kippur, Tisha b'Av is
a day of fasting.
So what does fasting have to do
with food? Before refraining from eat-
ing, there is usually a final meal that's
both symbolic and appropriate for the
solemn nature of the holiday.
Why do we fast at all? Because Tisha
b'Av, literally the ninth day of the
month of Av (this year, the fast begins
before sundown Wednesday, Aug. 9),
marks the end of a three week period of
mourning (which also begins with a
fast, on the 17th of Tamuz).
On this day in history, the ninth of
Av, the first and second temples in
Jerusalem were destroyed. And the
expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492
began on the ninth of Av.
The fast is a national symbol of all
the tragedies of the Jewish people,
and marks the mood of extreme
mourning to remember these calami-
ties. (See Cover Story in AppleTree,
page 103)
While the three weeks before Tisha
b'Av are a time of mourning, the nine
days just preceding the holiday are
considered even more austere.
Consider that on these nine days,
Jews must refrain from eating meat
and drinking wine, except on
Shabbat, since these are normally
served on festive occasions.
What's more, on erev Tisha b'Av,
some Jews observe the custom of eat-
ing round foods — rolls and eggs for

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ax

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example — sprinkled with ashes. Like
the first meal served after a Jewish
funeral, round foods symbolize eterni-
ty and the continuation of life.
Preparation for the meal before the
fast, known as the Seudah
HaMafiekat, begins before food is
served. A low table, such as a coffee
table, is often used as a dining table.
Diners usually sit on the floor or on
low stools, as is done during a shiva

period.
What do many Jews serve instead
of meat? During the nine days before
Tisha b'Av, fowl is a common entree
in many observant households. The
following recipes use fowl, fish and
eggs, which are all acceptable during
the nine days.
During this time, consider serving
the rounds foods that are also so sym-
bolic of this period of remembrance.