Purim, which starts tomorrow night, is definitely the funnest of all Jewish holidays (yes, even more than Passover!). Consider the evidence: observers get to dress up, be loud and boisterous in a place of worship, and God commands observers to get blind drunk. Awesome! (Every year, we consider having a Purim party solely so we can send out invitations that say “God commands me and I command you…to drink with me on Purim!”) Yes, Purim is filled with excellent doings, but no part of the holiday inspires such joy in our hearts as the eating of hamantaschen.
Hamantaschen, for the uninitiated, are tri-cornered pastries filled with fruit or chocolate. The name refers to Purim villain Haman, who hatched a plot to kill all the Jews in the land. He also was fond of hats with three corners. Haman’s plot was defeated and now he is mocked further by having his delicious hats eaten. Take that!
Hamantaschen have proved to be unexpectedly challenging to find in Boston, but we tracked down a few sources. Clear Flour offers hamantaschen filled with chocolate ganache, apricot, and poppyseed (by far, our favorite variety). Whole Foods carries the treats filled with every conceivable fruit, along with the excellent poppyseed filling. Go stock up!
Clear Flour Bakery [Official Site]
Whole Foods Market [Official Site]
[Photo: Flickr: marilyn819]
