Sweet and Cheesy Pancakes for Hanukkah!

Nothing says delicious like a sweet and cheesy pancake, and a holiday like Hanukkah is the perfect excuse to break out the recipe for your family and friends. While many are familiar with the Hanukkah tradition of eating latkes and other fried foods, many Jews also have a tradition of eating foods with cheese in them during the holiday.

This tradition is in honor of the story of Judith, a brave woman who helped to save her people, and inspired them, all with the help of some cheese. Judith managed to gain the trust of a Greek general, named Holofernes, and one night showed up to his tent with wine and plenty of cheese. Between the salty cheese and the copious amounts of wine the General used to quench his thirst, he eventually fell into a drunken stupor. Judith then decapitated him and carried his head back to her people. It inspired them to continue their fight, and the Greeks in the area quickly dispersed when they realized what had happened. So in the memory of Judith, we too eat some cheese.

Some rabbis also believe that eating dairy on Hanukkah is a way to connect it to the holiday of Shavuot, another dairy eating holiday, which was when we received the Commandments, or Mitzvot. During the story of Hanukkah, the Greeks frequently stopped the Jews from observing these Mitzvot, and instead they had to practice them in secret. So, dairy on Hanukkah is yet another reminder to us that we are now free to practice our religion as we wish!