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(CNN) -- When Hanukkah comes around, many Jews in Israel and the diaspora celebrate the holiday by lighting a menorah (eight-branched candelabra), spinning dreidels (tops) and whipping out the frying pan.

A frying pan?

That's an essential part of the holiday because it's customary to eat foods fried in oil to commemorate the miracle of Hanukkah. The story of the holiday dates back to 165 B.C.E, when a band of Jews recaptured the Holy Temple in Jerusalem from the Syrian-Greeks. When they entered the desecrated sanctuary, they found only enough pure oil to kindle the menorah for a day. But the miracle is that the oil lasted for eight days.

It doesn't matter what fried dish is eaten to celebrate the holiday. But among Ashkenazi Jews, who are of Eastern European and Russian descent, potato latkes (pancakes) are the food of choice. As Rita Milos Brownstein notes in her book "Jewish Holiday Style," latkes also can be made with other vegetables such as sweet potatoes or parsnips. In Israel, where many Jews are of Sephardic origins -- Spain, Portugal, Italy, North Africa, Iraq, Syria, Greece and Turkey -- sufganiyot (doughnuts) are popular, particularly jelly-filled ones.

Another lesser-known tradition is to eat cheese. This comes from the story of Judith who is said to have saved the Jewish town of Bethulia during the revolt against the Syrian-Greeks.

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According to Jewish writings, Judith entered the enemy camp and prepared a feast for General Holofernes full of salty cheeses, which made him thirsty. He drank so much wine, he passed out. Judith then cut off his head with his own sword. His troops retreated afterward.

The custom of giving Hanukkah gelt (money) has taken on a sweeter note, with many adults showering children with bags of chocolate coins. To add to the festive atmosphere, it's also become common to make cookies in the shape of a menorah, the six-pointed "Star of David" or a dreidel. The dreidel game is said to have developed as a way to get around a decree by the Syrian-Greeks against learning the Torah. Jews who met to study together would bring along the tops, so passing patrols would think they were playing a harmless game.