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A hamantasch (also spelled hamentash,
homentasch, homentash, pluralized with -en; Yiddish המן־טאַש
homen-tash) is a cookie in Jewish cuisine recognizable for its 3-cornered shape.
It is eaten during the Jewish holiday of Purim. Traditional fillings are poppy
seeds or prune, but they are made with many different flavors, including nut,
date, apricot, or chocolate. Hamantaschen are generally made by rolling the
dough thin, cutting it into circles (of various sizes), placing filling in the
center, and folding in three sides. The dough is generally a cookie dough, usually
made with non-dairy products, with orange juice and/or rind added. Sometimes
a yeast dough is used instead. Hamantaschen literally means "Haman's pockets".
Haman is the villain of Purim, and according to legend wore a triangular hat.
In Israel, they are called אוזני המן
(Oznei Haman) (Hebrew for "Haman's ears"). |
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The three-cornered filled pastries known as Hamantashen
are a traditional Purim treat. The name"Hamantashen" literally means
"Haman Pockets," but Hamantashen are also called "Haman's Hat".
In Israel, they are called "Ozney Haman" -- Haman's Ears! In Yiddish,
the word for poppy is mon. Tash means pocket. A "mon-tash" then,
is a "poppy pocket," which is an apt self-explanatory description
of the pastry (Hamantashen) itself. When the Hebrew definite article "Ha"
is added you get "ha-mon-tash." The fact that the "ha-mon"
part sounds like the name of the villain of the Esther story may be the reason
that the "hamantash" became associated with Purim. In any case,
in the Jewish world of today, it wouldn't be Purim without Hamantashen.
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So here's a recipe, so that you can make Hamantashen
on your own :
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HAMANTASHEN
Ingredients :
4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 pound of butter, melted
4 eggs
1 cup honey
Poppy-seed filling (buy ready made or make your own).
Procedure :
Preheat oven to 350ºF
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl.
Mix in the eggs, honey and butter.
Roll out the mixture onto a lightly flowered board. (This is a very sticky dough
because of the honey, so have some extra flour handy to sprinkle in as needed
in order to get it to roll flat).
Use a glass or cookie cutter with about a 3" diameter to cut the dough
into little circles.
Put a little filling in the center of each circle and fold the edges into the
three cornered shape, leaving an opening in the center.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Let cool.
YIELD: about 48 Hamantashen... Enjoy!
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How to make the Hamantashen's
POPPY SEED FILLING:
Ingredients
:
2 cups poppy seeds
1 cup water
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
Procedure :
Bring water to boil in a small
saucepan
Put seeds in a strainer and pour the boiling water over them.
Drain thoroughly
Grind the seeds in a mortar or food processor.
Place the ground seeds in a medium saucepan and add the honey, sugar and
salt.
Cook over a low flame until thick, stirring continually.
YIELD: enough filling for about
48 Hamantashen.
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