22 | DECEMBER 7 • 2023 J
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y brother-in-law asked me 
a surprising question: “How 
many different kinds of latkes 
do you make at Chanukah?”
“Just the potato kind,” I said. “Why?”
“Since you prepare eight different char-
osets at Passover, I figured you’d make 
lots of exotic latkes, too,” he said.
While Robbie meant this as a compli-
ment, he caught me off guard. Since he 
knows I enjoy cooking and inventing rec-
ipes, he set the bar high. Yet his question 
got me thinking.
Why are latkes usually made from 
potatoes? Why are they almost exclusively 
served at Chanukah parties or for dinner? 
What’s wrong with other times of day?
Everyone loves latkes, so I thought it 
would be fun to create a new latke recipe 
for each day of Chanukah. For years I’ve 
had a secret desire to eat latkes all day, 
starting at breakfast. I wondered why no 
one had ever created cocktail-hour latkes. 
I’ve had dessert latkes, but none worth 
eating again.
One cold October weekend, I decided 
to revamp Chanukah’s signature dish, 
experimenting with ingredients as far 
flung as bananas, salmon and chocolate.
Yet with a twinge of Jewish guilt, I 

questioned if it was right to take latkes so 
far from their roots, the lowly potato?
In Yiddish, the word latke means pan-
cake. The definition doesn’t include a 
connection to potatoes. After consulting 
Webster’s Dictionary, I confirmed that a 
pancake is a thin, flat cake of batter fried 
on both sides on a griddle or in a frying 
pan.
Although Ashkenazi Jews are famous 
for preparing latke batters with grated 
potatoes, the tuber is a relatively recent 
addition to their culinary repertoire.
Originating in South America, potatoes 
were unknown in Europe until the 16th 
century, when explorers brought back 
tuber shoots from their travels. Once 
planted, these shoots grew abundantly 
throughout Eastern and Central Europe, 
where produce was sparse during harsh 
winters. Potatoes became an inexpensive 
crop to farm and arose as a staple of the 
Ashkenazi diet.
It didn’t take long for Jewish house-
wives to discover the wonders of grated 
potato batter sizzling in chicken schmaltz. 
At Chanukah, the shortening of choice 
was goose fat. The crunchy result is now 
history.
Although potatoes have proven to be a 

superior latke ingredient, I decided to see 
if other foods could enhance the Jewish 
pancake genre. Success. Follow the recipe 
below and subsequent modifications for 
breakfast, light-bite and dessert latkes. 

BREAKFAST OR BRUNCH
Yield: 8 latkes, 4 inches in diameter

BASIC FLOUR LATKES
Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. butter for batter, plus 2 Tbsp. or 

more, for frying

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp. plain yogurt

1¼ cup 2% lowfat milk

12/3 cups flour

2½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

Preparation:
1. In a small pot, melt 3 tablespoons 
butter. Cool briefly.
2. In a large bowl, beat egg, yogurt, 
milk and melted butter, until foamy.
3. Sift flour, baking powder and salt 
into egg mixture.
4. With a wooden spoon, stir ingredi-
ents until well combined.
5. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 

OUR COMMUNITY

A
Whole
Lotta
Latkes

LINDA MOREL (JTA) 

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