One of the four mitzvahs of Purim is to have a festive meal on Purim day. Here are some of the foods that are traditionally eaten by Jews of various communities on Purim.
1. Beans, Seeds and Rice
Eating seeds and beans (or rice1 ) on Purim is cited in the Code of Jewish Law. One reason for this is that Queen Esther (as well as Hatach, identified in the Midrash as Daniel) essentially “fasted,” eating a vegetarian diet of seeds and beans, which allowed her to keep kosher surreptitiously.
As such, some have the custom to eat these foods on Purim night soon after the end of the Fast of Esther.2 Others, however, eat them any time on Purim, not specifically at night.3
2. Poppy Seeds
The most popular seed is the poppy seed, as the Yiddish word for “poppy seeds” is mohn, which sounds similar to the name Haman, the villain of the Purim story.
3. Hamantaschen
The classic Purim pastry, the three-cornered hamantash, is thus traditionally filled with poppy seeds. (One meaning of hamantaschen is “poppy-seed-filled pockets.”). At the same time, there are many reasons for eating hamantaschen unrelated to the poppy seed.
4. Meat
On Jewish holidays, we are enjoined to eat meat,4 a luxury food that enhances the air of celebration, and Purim is no exception.
5. Wine
In the megillah, we read that Purim was instituted as days of “mishteh and joy.” While mishteh can refer to a feast, it literally means “drinking.” Additionally, Purim was instituted as a joyful day, and the psalmist states, “wine brings joy to a man’s heart.”5 The Talmud thus enjoins us to drink on Purim until we “cannot discern between ‘cursed is Haman’ and ‘blessed is Mordecai.’ ”6
Read: Drinking on Purim
6. Kreplach (Dumplings)
Many, including Chabad, have the custom of eating kreplach, meat-filled dumplings, on Purim. One explanation for this custom is that on most holidays, the sanctity of the day is apparent since we abstain from many forms of work. There are three times a year when we eat a festive holiday meal with meat, even though work is permitted and the specialness of the day is somewhat obscured: Purim, Erev Yom Kippur, and Hoshanah Rabbah—the three days when we eat kreplach, in which the meat is obscured by the dough.7
7. Haman's Ears
There are various Purim foods that different communities refer to as oznei Haman (“Haman’s ears”), including kreplach, hamantaschen and even a pastry that resembles ears. What do ears have to do with Purim?
Rabbi Shimshon Chaim Nachmani (d. circa 1779) explains that a big part of the miracle of Purim occurred because Haman “listened” to his wife Zeresh and built a tall gallows on which to hang Mordecai. This ultimately enraged the king and spelled out Haman’s downfall. Eating “ears” commemorate this plot twist.8
8. Koylitsh
Some have the custom of eating extra-long sweet braided challah known as a koylitsh. The shape reminds us of the rope upon which Haman wished to hang Mordecai, and the sweetness is because . . . well, Purim is a sweet day.
Read: 11 Challah Facts
9. Nunt (Nougat)
Nunt is made out of nuts or seeds cooked in honey until it becomes stuck together as one food. When Haman convinced the king to make a decree against the Jews, he described them as “one nation scattered and dispersed among the other peoples . . .” In a spiritual sense, the lack of unity between the Jewish people is part of what caused the decree. And when we unified in prayer, we were saved. This treat reminds us that we are stuck together and unified as one.9
10. Matzah Balls
In Yiddish, matzah balls are called kneidlach, which sounds like kinderlach, “children.”
At Sinai, the children were considered the guarantors of the Torah. The Talmud relates that during the Purim story, the Jewish people reaffirmed their acceptance of the Torah, so the children were once again the guarantors.
Read: Our Perfect Matzah Ball Recipe
Perhaps another reason is that, as the Midrash relates, the miracle of Purim happened in the merit of the thousands of Jewish children whom Mordecai gathered to pray and learn Torah. Indeed, our sages tell us that we will be redeemed from this exile in the merit of the Torah learning of the young children.
May it be speedily in our days!
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