Hamantash

Ahamantash(pl.:hamantashen; also spelledhamantasch,hamantaschen;Yiddish:המן־טאַשhomentash,pl.:המן־טאַשןhomentashn, 'Haman pockets') is anAshkenazi Jewishtriangular filled-pocketpastryassociated with theJewishholiday ofPurim. The name refers toHaman, the villain in the Purim story. In Hebrew, hamantashen are also known asאוזני המן(oznei Haman), meaning "Haman's ears". "Haman's ears" also refers to aSephardicPurim pastry, "Orejas de Haman", thought to originate in Spain and Italy, that is made by frying twisted or rolled strips of dough.
Traditionally, the dough for hamantashen was made with yeast. With the invention of baking powder during the 1840s and its wide adoption during the first half of the twentieth century, baking powder supplanted yeast, and hamantashen dough became a cookie rather than pastry dough. To shape a hamantash, a filling is placed in the center of a circle of dough, which is then either folded in half and shaped into a triangle or the sides are brought to the center to form a triangle. The oldest and most traditional filling is mohn (poppy seed paste), withpowidlorlekvar(prunejam) a close second. The cookie dough variety has spawned many different fillings, traditionally sweet (although savory varieties have become popular as well). Most popular are various jams, especiallyapricotandraspberry, but alsodate,raisins,apple, vanillapastry creamwithchocolate chips,cherry,fig,chocolate,dulce de leche,halva,caramel, orcheese.The dough varies from hard likeshortbreadto a soft yeast dough.
In Yiddish, the wordhomentashis singular, whilehomentashnis the plural form. However,hamantashenis the more common word form among English speakers, even when referring to a single pastry (for example, "I ate a poppy seed hamantashen").
Hamantashis also spelledhamentasch,homentash,homentasch,homentaschan, or even(h)umentash. The namehamantashis commonly viewed as a reference toHaman, the villain ofPurim, as described in theBook of Esther. The pastries are supposed to symbolize the defeated enemy of the Jewish people.The wordtashmeans "pouch" or "pocket" in Yiddish, and thus may refer toHaman's pockets, symbolizing the money that Haman offered to Ahasuerus in exchange for permission to destroy the Jews. In Hebrew,tashmeans "weaken", and the hamantash may celebrate the weakening of Haman and the hope that God will weaken all of the enemies of the Jews.
Another possible source of the name is afolk etymology: the Yiddish word מאָן־טאַשן (montashn) for a traditional delicacy, literally meaning "poppyseed pouch",was transformed tohamantashen, likely by association with Haman or inclusion of the Hebrew articleha-(ה).InIsrael, hamantashen are calledoznei Haman(Hebrew:אוזני המן),Hebrewfor "Haman's ears" in reference to their defeated enemy's ears, although "Haman's ears" also refers to a Sephardic Purim pastry that is twisted or rolled and fried.
The reason for the three-sided shape is uncertain. There is a 20th-century legend that Haman wore a three-cornered hat.Alternatively, theMidrashsays that when Haman recognized the merit of theThree Patriarchs, his strength immediately weakened.
A simpler explanation is that the shape derives from traditional Jewish baking techniques in Central Europe for folding dough so as to form a pouch around a filling, also common for making dumplings. It has also been suggested that the shape is representative of female reproductive organs, and that the poppy-seed filling is a fertility symbol.
Sweet hamantashen fillings range from traditional options such asmohn(poppy seed),powidlorlekvar(prune),apricot jam, and date (especially popular in Israel) toraisin,apple,cherry,fig,chocolate,dulce de leche,halva,caramel, andcheese.
The prune hamantash was invented in 1731 by David Brandeis ofJung-Bunzlau,Bohemia. The daughter of a Christian bookbinder purchased from Brandeis powidl (plum jam) which she claimed had made her family ill, as her father coincidentally died a few days after eating it. Theburgomasterof the city ordered the closure of Brandeis's store and imprisoned him, his wife, and son for selling poisonous food to Christians. Investigations by municipal authorities and the court of appeal in Prague revealed that the bookbinder had died ofconsumptionand the charges were dismissed.
Brandeis wrote a scroll which he calledShir HaMa'alot l'David("ASong of Ascentsto David"), to be read on 10 Adar, accompanied by a festive meal. He was freed from prison four days before Purim after the charges against him were proven to be false, and in celebration of his release, Jews from his city celebrated with povidl or plum hamantashen.
Savory hamantashen fillings have emerged in recent years, and their popularity has grown and are commonly prepared at home but can also be found in various Jewish bakeries and restaurants serving Jewish cuisine. Savory varieties may have fillings such aspizzaingredients, spinach and feta, lamb, potato, or cheese, and are often somewhat similar to otherJewishpastries such as theknish,bourekas, andsambusak.
Sweet hamantashen are typically made with a dough containing butter or less commonly aparevedough containing oil. Depending on the ingredients used in the dough, the consistency of the finished baking powder hamantash can range from dry and crumbly likeshortbread, to soft and cakey like ablack and white cookie, to firm and crisp like a butter cookie. The dough is generally prepared with flour, eggs, sugar, butter (or margarine or cooking oil), and a flavoring such as vanilla (or sometimescocoa, grated lemon rind,rose water, ororange blossom water); sometimes milk is used in the dough; and usually aleavenersuch as baking powder or baking soda is added as well. The dough is then mixed gently so as to incorporate all the ingredients together without making the dough tough.
The dough is allowed to rest in the refrigerator and then is removed and rolled out to a thickness of between1⁄8–1⁄4inch (0.3–0.6 cm). Rounds of dough are stamped out and often brushed with anegg washto encourage sealing prior to the addition of the filling (or the finished hamentash is brushed with egg wash before baking to produce a shiny golden surface). The most popular filling ispoppyseed,but apricot, prune, strawberry, raspberry, chocolate,peanut butter and jelly, and others are also common. The bottom and the top two corners of the dough are folded inward but do not fully enclose the filling, allowing it to remain visible. Sometimes hamantashen may be frozen for a short period of time after shaping in order to prevent leakage of the filling. Then they are baked in an oven at medium heat for a short time. Sometimes after baking hamantashen may be dusted withpowdered sugar, dipped in melted chocolate, or topped withsprinkles.
Savory hamantashen are prepared in much the same way as sweet hamantashen, though they are generally made with a different dough, such one similar to apiecrust,puff pastry, or modified sweet hamantashen dough containing less sugar.
Hamantashen are known as"oznei Haman"in Israel, a term that also refers to the Sephardic pastry "Orejas de Haman", twisted or rolled strips of dough that are fried, and are the most popular cookie sold at bakeries across Israel in the weeks leading up to Purim each year, with both large chains and small independent bakeries offering many different varieties. As in thediaspora,poppyseedremains the most-popular filling, with chocolate in second, and date filling coming in third in popularity. Jam is not nearly as common a filling as in America.