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The History of Hamantaschen

Raspberry Hamantashen


Purim is a holiday where the Jewish people celebrate their triumph over Haman and all of their enemies. What better way is there to celebrate the holiday than by eating a cookie that symbolizes the victory over their rivals?

Hamantaschen are an intriguing dessert to enjoy on Purim mostly for their unusual shape. It’s a cookie that tastes good and that bears historical significance to the story of Purim. But what exactly is the history behind these triangular cookies

The simplest and most widely heard explanation is that Hamantaschen symbolize Haman’s triangular hat. This signifies the Jewish people’s victory over Haman. Israelis refer to Hamantaschen as Oznei Haman, the ears of Haman, which demonstrates the same symbolism.

Apricot Hamantashen
Apricot Hamantashen

There is also another interpretation that the word Hamantaschen derived from the word mohn, which means poppy seed. It is customary to eat poppy seeds on Purim and they are available in poppy seed Hamantaschen as well.

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This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on February 14, 2010 10:39 AM.

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