You Say Potato, We say Latkes!!

Latkes

Potatoes are such a versatile and delicious food. We would like to talk about them today because they are the basis of Latkes. What....you don't know about latkes?! Well, then you came to the right place.

Latkes are potato pancakes. The history of latkes is very interesting. It turns out that this traditional Jewish dish is often served during Hanukkah, which is the eight day festival of light. According to the Hanukkah story, the Jewish Temple was seized by the Syrian-Greeks in 168 B.C.E. The temple was then dedicated to the worship of Zeus. Eventually through revolt the Jews regained control of the temple. In order to rededicate the temple to God, they had to light the Temple's menorah for eight days. Unfortunately, they discovered that they only had one day's worth of oil. They lit the menorah and to their happy surprise the oil lasted the full eight days. To commemorate this miracle, each year Jews light the Hanukkah menorahs and eat fried food such as latkes. 

Jewish folk lore says that latkes serve another purpose. It is to teach that we cannot live by miracles alone. Miracles are wonderful things, but we cannot wait for miracles to happen. We have to work towards our goals and feed our bodies and nourish our souls to have fulfilling lives.

Because potatoes are actually a New World food and weren't really around in ancient times, it is believed that latkes were made from grated cheese and egg, and then fried. The use of potatoes in latkes became popularity in Eastern Europe during the mid 1800's. Because of crop failures in Poland and the Ukraine, potatoes were planted because they were cheap and easy to grow. While there are those who honor the ancient tradition, one can find potato latkes in restaurants and deli's everywhere these days. One cannot discount the rich heritage of the humble potato and the delicious latkes that come from recipes that are over 100 years old.

The name latke is of Yiddish origin and may be from Germany or Russia. As Jews immigrated to the United States, lucky for us, so did the tradition of preparing potato latkes.

Russet Potatoes

Typically, latkes are made with grated raw potatoes, eggs, flour or bread crumbs and salt. Sometimes a bit of onion is added. While people are loyal to their favorite potato, in making latkes russets are often used  because they have a high starch content. The mixture is allowed to sit for a while so all the starch and egg can bind everything together. Once ready for frying, the batter is shaped into small patties. The patties are fried in hot oil until they are golden brown on each side. They can be drained on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Latke's are best served hot with applesauce and sour cream.....YUMMY!!!!

Although tradition runs deep in latke preparations, all recipes of any food run the risk of innovation. New recipes for latkes include grated carrots, zucchini, ginger, sweet or savory spices.

Lest you think the idea of potatoes in pancakes is dedicated solely to only one culture, we are here to give you the scoop on similar dishes from other cultures.

To the north-east of England (County Durham) , there is a popular food called tattie fish. It doesn't have fish in it at all. It is a pancake that is deep fried and resembles a fried piece of fish. It consists of shredded potato, flour, eggs, and onions. Sometimes tomato or cheese is added.

Tattie Fish

Boxty is a popular dish from Ireland.  It is similar to latkes, but uses more starch in the batter.

Boxties

The Swedes have what is called raggmunk. These have wheat flour, milk, egg and shredded potatoes fried like pancakes. The word "ragg" means crispy and "munk" translates as donutpan. Raggmunks are enjoyed with lingonberry jam.

Raggmunk with Lingonberry Jam

Czech potato pancakes are call bramborak and are made from grated potatoes with egg, breadcrumbs or flour, seasoning of garlic, salt, pepper, marjoram and sometimes ground caraway seeds.

Bramborak

Clearly the potato finds an honored place on tables all around the world.  Our recipe today is for the classic potato latke served in the Hanukkah tradition.

Okay, enough chit chat.  Let's get to making Latkes.

Latkes with Applesauce and Creme Fraiche

Here's what you need:

2 lbs russet potatoes*

1/2 cup chopped onion**

1/3 - 1/2 cup flour or bread crumbs ***

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/4 teaspoon salt (to taste)

1 teaspoon black pepper (to taste)

Grape Seed Oil for frying

Here's what you need to do:

Peel potatoes.  Using a food processor or a hand grater, grate potatoes.  Put them in cold water so they don't discolor.  When all ingredients are ready to mix, drain grated potatoes. Get as much water out of them as possible.  It is easiest to use a cheese cloth or just squeeze them out by hand.

Mix all ingredients together.  Let the mixture set for about 15 minutes.  (*** you may need more or less flour depending on how the batter holds together.)  Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in frying pan.  Measure out about 2 Tablespoons of batter for each latke.  Place batter in pan to form a pancake.  Do not overcrowd the pan.  Fry each pancake until brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Drain latkes on paper towel or rack to drain excess oil. Serve immediately.  (Latkes loose their crunch when cool.)  

Serve with applesauce and sour cream or creme fraiche.

*You can use left over mashed potatoes, too.

**If you like chives, they can be used in the place of chopped onion.

Latkes are meant to be enjoyed by all lovers of potatoes.  So give them a try.  Stick with the traditional recipe or jazz it up your way.  They are easy and very tasty.

Now go out and make something good.