Jewish food is so evocative of culture, family, memories and connection. Throughout the Jewish Diaspora, we have been adopting, adapting and creating dishes that meet our spiritual, cultural and physical needs by blending tradition with local resources. The resulting dishes can be as different as gefilte fish (Eastern European poached white fish balls) and chraime (spicy North African fish stew) and yet still serve the same purpose (in this case, a starter for Shabbat and holiday meals).

One way we really see this is in the wide-ranging types of charoset, the Passover Seder staple which represents the bricks and mortar the Jewish slaves used to build the pyramids in Egypt. It is a paste or dip usually containing nuts and fruit that differs by the customs and preferences of Jewish communities. I always provide a sampling of these symbolic dips at my international Passover cooking workshops for Hadassah chapters and other groups and teach everyone how to make them.

The concept of charoset is ancient, going back to Greco-Roman times, when it was customary to eat greens with a dip. Originally, the karpas (greens) and the maror (bitter herbs) were dipped in the charoset. Nowadays, most traditions just combine the sweet charoset with the bitter herbs. In addition, there is the “Hillel sandwich”(maror and charoset in between two pieces of matzah), which we traditionally eat to honor the ancient sage Hillel, who combined these items to symbolize the mix of slavery and redemption.

Versions of charoset over time have actually included bits of ground brick or stone, taking the dip’s connection to mortar a bit too far for me. More palatable versions try to emulate the look (but hopefully not the taste) of mud from Egypt’s Nile River, while others include up to 40 fruits inspired by the “Song of Songs.”

I have seen recipes for charoset (especially from the American South) that include pecans; avocado (one called a California Charoset); bananas (in charosets from Israel and the Caribbean); chestnuts (in an Italian recipe); and pretty much every nut or dried fruit, as well as many different spice combinations.

The recipes below are ones I have collected and adapted from friends — except the Charoset Truffles, which I developed.

Dianne Jacob’s easy version of her Iraqi family’s charoset has now become a favorite of my Ashkenazi family.

Dawn Kepler recommends shaping her Greek Charoset into a pyramid before serving. The Charoset Truffles also make a lovely bite for dessert, especially when coated in chocolate (see Dessert Truffle variation below).

I’ve also included Dawn Kepler’s Traditional Ashkenazi Apple Charoset made with nuts, sweet wine and apples.

Dianne Jacob’s Iraqi Date Syrup and Nuts Charoset Makes about 1 3/4 cups

1 cup date syrup (see note) 3⁄4 cup chopped walnuts

Combine date syrup and nuts.

Note: Date syrup (also called date honey, silan or date molasses) is available in on-line, kosher, Middle Eastern and Indian markets. Several brands are certified kosher for Passover.

Dawn Kepler’s Greek Charoset Makes about 3-4 cups

1 large orange, peeled 1 1⁄4 cups pitted dates, finely chopped 1 cup raisins, finely chopped 1⁄2 cup sweet grape wine 1⁄2 cup walnuts, finely chopped 1⁄2 cup almonds, finely chopped 1⁄2 cup pine nuts

Cut the orange into 1⁄4 -inch pieces. Remove the seeds. Add chopped dates and raisins and mash together into a paste. Stir in the wine and nuts. You can make this a few days before Passover. Store in refrigerator. Serve at room temperature.

Charoset Truffles Makes 24 truffles

1 cup raisins 1 1⁄4  cups pitted dates 1/2cup walnuts 1 cup blanched and slivered almonds 1/2 cup sweet grape wine cinnamon

Place 1 cup raisins, 1 1⁄4 cups pitted dates, 1⁄2 cup walnuts and 1 cup blanched and slivered almonds in a food processor with 1⁄2 cup of sweet grape wine. Pulse until the mixture forms a thick paste, dribbling in more wine if needed. Lightly oil hands and scoop out a heaping Tbsp. and roll into a ball. Repeat. Makes about 24 truffles. Roll in ground cinnamon just before serving.

Dessert Truffle Variation: Add 1 tsp. ground cinnamon to food processor before pulsing. Form into balls as above. Do not roll in additional cinnamon. Melt 12 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate in top of double boiler (or in a heat safe bowl set on top of a saucepan). Keep chocolate warm. Roll truffles in melted chocolate and lift out with fork. Place coated truffles on wire rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet to set (or refrigerate until set).

Dawn Kepler’s Traditional Ashkenazi Apple Charoset Makes 2-3 cups

2 tart medium apples, such as Granny Smith 2 sweet medium apples, such as Gala 1⁄2 cup chopped almonds 1⁄4 cup sweet grape wine 1⁄4 cup dry wine 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

Peel, core and shred apples. Add in all other ingredients. Allow to sit for 3 to 6 hours, until flavors have blended.

Faith Kramer is a member of the Hadassah Writers’ Circle, a dynamic and diverse writing group for leaders and members to express their thoughts and feelings about all the things Hadassah does to make the world a better place. It’s where they celebrate their personal Hadassah journeys and share their Jewish values, family traditions and interpretations of Jewish texts. Hadassah members are proud of their Zionist mission and their role as keepers of the flame of Jewish values, traditions and beliefs as well as advocating for women’s empowerment and health equity for all. Since 2019, the Hadassah Writers’ Circle has published nearly 800 columns in The Times of Israel Blogs and other Jewish media outlets. Interested in writing? Please contact hwc@hadassah.org.

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