Doughnuts and potato pancakes: The simple pleasures of Hanukkah

By Joan Nathan, Special to CNN

Updated 2031 GMT (0431 HKT) December 7, 2012

A young Israeli boy looks at a serving of fresh oil-fried and jam-filled doughnuts, known in Hebrew as "sufganiyot", served at one of the local bakeries in Kadima, central Israel, during Hanukkah.
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Doughy delights – A young Israeli boy looks at a serving of fresh oil-fried and jam-filled doughnuts, known in Hebrew as "sufganiyot", served at one of the local bakeries in Kadima, central Israel, during Hanukkah.
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In Jewish tradition, it is customary to eat doughnuts and other foods fried in oil during the eight-day festival of Hanukkah.In this picture, a kosher bakery prepares doughnuts by injecting them with cream custard in the Ukranian port city of Odessa. A thriving Jewish community in the region ensures that there is plenty of demand for kosher foodstuffs.
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Get your fill – In Jewish tradition, it is customary to eat doughnuts and other foods fried in oil during the eight-day festival of Hanukkah.In this picture, a kosher bakery prepares doughnuts by injecting them with cream custard in the Ukranian port city of Odessa. A thriving Jewish community in the region ensures that there is plenty of demand for kosher foodstuffs.
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So popular are the doughnuts in Israel that Jewish-American chef Joan Nathan recalls the local marketplaces resembling a "pastry auction" around this time of year. Also known as the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah reaffirms the ideals of Judaism and is one of the most popular Jewish observances.
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Pastry auction – So popular are the doughnuts in Israel that Jewish-American chef Joan Nathan recalls the local marketplaces resembling a "pastry auction" around this time of year. Also known as the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah reaffirms the ideals of Judaism and is one of the most popular Jewish observances.
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For some, Hanukkah is "the potato pancake holiday", where the mundane potato is given a massive makeover in form of latkes -- a fried potato cake that can be served with lots of goodies including goat cheese, tomatoes, herbs, or topped with smoked salmon and dill.
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The potato makeover – For some, Hanukkah is "the potato pancake holiday", where the mundane potato is given a massive makeover in form of latkes -- a fried potato cake that can be served with lots of goodies including goat cheese, tomatoes, herbs, or topped with smoked salmon and dill.
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Nathan, who has won numerous awards for her cookbooks dedicated to Jewish cuisine, says that while she has added many different ingredients to her latke recipes -- including zucchini, beetroot, sweet potato, celery root, and apple-horseradish -- her favorite is still the simple potato.
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Simple is best – Nathan, who has won numerous awards for her cookbooks dedicated to Jewish cuisine, says that while she has added many different ingredients to her latke recipes -- including zucchini, beetroot, sweet potato, celery root, and apple-horseradish -- her favorite is still the simple potato.
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Jewish bakers are busy with more than just doughnuts and latkes during this time of year. Here, traditional gingerbread hearts and Stars of David with Hebrew inscriptions in Latin letters on them hang at a stall at the annual Hanukkah market at the Berlin Jewish Museum.
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Busy bakers – Jewish bakers are busy with more than just doughnuts and latkes during this time of year. Here, traditional gingerbread hearts and Stars of David with Hebrew inscriptions in Latin letters on them hang at a stall at the annual Hanukkah market at the Berlin Jewish Museum.
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