Ask Chef Walter! Hanukkah History, with Apple Fritter and Latke Recipes

As the first candle of Hanukkah is lit this year on the evening of December 14, 2025, at Flavors + Knowledge, we’re delighted to share the joy of the Festival of Lights with you. In honor of the holiday, here is the story behind Hanukkah and a delicious recipe for crispy apple fritters — a perfect way to celebrate the miracle of the oil.

Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in the second century BCE. The story begins in 168 BCE, when the Syrian Greek king Antiochus IV Epiphanes invaded Judea, desecrated the Temple by erecting altars to Greek gods, and banned Jewish religious practices, including observing Shabbat, celebrating festivals, and performing circumcisions. He forced Jews to assimilate into Hellenistic culture, offering conversion or death, and even renamed the Temple after Zeus. This sparked a revolt led by the Hasmonean family, particularly Mattathias and his son Judah Maccabee, who organized a guerrilla army known as the Maccabees. Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Maccabees achieved military victories and reclaimed the Temple on the 25th of Kislev (around December).

The name “Hanukkah” means “dedication” in Hebrew, referring to the purification and rededication of the Temple after it was defiled. A key element of the holiday is the miracle of the oil: Upon reclaiming the Temple, the Jews found only enough consecrated oil to light the eternal flame (ner tamid) for one day, but it miraculously burned for eight days until more could be prepared. This miracle, elaborated in the Talmud centuries later, symbolizes divine intervention and is why Hanukkah lasts eight days. The holiday emphasizes themes of religious freedom, resistance to oppression, and the preservation of Jewish identity and culture.

Symbolically, the menorah (or hanukkiyah, a nine-branched candelabrum) is central: Eight branches represent the eight nights, with candles lit each evening progressively using the ninth branch, the shamash (helper candle). This ritual recalls the Temple’s eternal light and signifies the spreading of light in times of darkness, as well as God’s enduring presence. Fried foods, like latkes and doughnuts, symbolize the miracle of the oil, as they are cooked in oil to honor its abundance. Other symbols include the dreidel (a spinning top game), which historically allowed Jews to study Torah in secret during times of persecution, and gift-giving, a more modern tradition that emerged in the 19th–20th centuries to strengthen family bonds and Jewish pride, especially in diaspora communities. Overall, Hanukkah is a celebration of resilience, faith, and the triumph of light over darkness.