- What comes to mind when you think of Purim?
Noisemakers for kids?
Free-flowing liquor for adults?
Costumes and sweets for everybody?
Purim is all of these things and more.
Let's dive into the history of the holiday
and understand one of its most beloved symbols,
the triangle-shaped cookies called hamantaschen.
How have interpretations of their meaning changed
with the times?
Here's the Cliff's Notes version of the story of Purim
in case you aren't up to speed:
the holiday commemorates the survival of the Jews
of ancient Persia in the face of genocide.
It's all in the Book of Esther,
after King Ahasuerus offs his queen for standing up to him,
the king falls in love with Esther,
a bright and beautiful young Jewish woman,
he doesn't know that part yet.
At the same time, Esther's cousin Mordechai foils a plot
to kill Ahasuerus and earns himself a nod
in the king's memoir.
Later, Mordechai refuses to bow down
to the king's power-hungry adviser Haman,
who advises the king to murder all the Jews in the kingdom
as his revenge.
King Ahasuerus, who apparently had a short memory,
responds with a royal "yeah, sure, whatever."
When Mordechai and Esther learn of Haman's evil plot,
Esther risks her life and pleads with the king
to save her people.
For once, King Ahasuerus does the right thing
and listens to Esther,
approving both Haman's execution
and a plan for the kingdom's Jews to counterattack
the army Haman had assembled against them.
Everyone left alive celebrates with an epic feast.
In other words, they tried to kill us,
we survived, let's eat.
If that summary of the Purim story seems
a little irreverent for a major religious holiday,
don't worry, it's perfectly consistent
with traditional Purim celebrations.
Because there are multiple giant feasts
in the Book of Esther,
and because royal wine plays a leading role in its story,
Purim has been the most raucous holiday
on the Jewish calendar for centuries,
a Jewish Mardi Gras of sorts.
Friends and family send each other gifts of sweets and wine
called "Mishloach Manot".
Purim services include costumes, singing, dancing,
and comedy sketches called "Purim spiels" in Yiddish.
During Purim readings of Esther,
congregants in synagogues typically boo or make noise
every time the name of the villain, Haman, is mentioned.
(booing and sound of wooden noismakers)
The rabbis of the Talmud command that
"a person is obligated
"to become intoxicated with wine on Purim,
"that they do not know how to distinguish
"between 'cursed is Haman' and 'blessed is Mordechai'."
So, Purim parties, even Orthodox Jewish ones,
have a tendency to get ... lit.
With those drinks flowing,
you're going to need snacks to soak it all up.
And the children and other non-drinkers
deserve a holiday treat, too.
Mizrahi Jews traditionally bake ma'amouls,
a cookie stuffed with nuts or dates.
For Ashkenazi Jews, the customary Purim treats
are hamantaschen, triangle-shaped cookies
folded around a sweet filling.
These iconic cookies have fueled Purim parties
for generations, and there are about
as many different kinds of filling
as there are Purim costumes.
Though everyone knows poppy is the best.
This treat has evolved in form and meaning
over centuries of Jewish culture.
The oldest written mention of hamantaschen
dates back to 16th century Italy,
a Purim play by Yehuda Sommo
references a treat called "Oznei Haman" in Hebrew.
The phrase literally translates
to "Haman's ears".
Before you lose your appetite, don't worry,
there is no evidence that his ears and head
were ever separated.
Also, several Eastern European cultures
make dumplings with names that translate to little ears.
So this 16th century name may just be referencing
a dumpling for Purim.
Chronologically, the next version we can find
of the modern hamantaschen
is the Central and Eastern European mohn,
or poppyseed, filled dessert.
Many dishes from the region feature poppyseeds.
A pastry or cookie pocket would be called
a tasch in Yiddish.
So, mohn taschen would be cookie pockets
filled with poppyseeds.
Imagine saying that again and again
over a span of a few hundred years
in different Yiddish dialects and regional accents,
and mohn taschen could end up sounding
a lot like hamantaschen.
It's entirely possible that Haman's name
became associated with these cookies
through coincidental variations
in language and pronunciation.
Either way, that association has stuck.
Jewish children for generations have learned that
the cookies are triangular
because Haman wore a tri-cornered hat.
This could be true, but our sources on 4th century BCE
Persian royal court fashion are pretty limited,
since all the copies of Ancient Vogue burned up
with the Library of Alexandria.
A more recent interpretation of hamantaschen
brings the focus back to the hero of the holiday story,
Queen Esther.
The triangle-shaped cookie could in fact represent a uterus.
We know that's a long walk from a hat, but hear us out.
Esther's youth and beauty
were the secret to her successful appeal
to King Ahasuerus to save the Jews of Persia,
not to mention the reason she became his queen.
In ancient literature, youth and beauty
are often code words for fertility.
Queens throughout history were chosen for their ability
to produce an heir to the throne,
and the same is true for Queen Esther.
Since Purim is an early spring holiday,
symbols of regrowth and fertility wouldn't be surprising.
Consider the European mohn taschen in this context,
it's a cookie filled with poppyseeds,
and it happens to have the same triangular shape
as most textbook illustrations of a uterus.
The feminine symbolism pays tribute to the holiday's hero,
Queen Esther, instead of drawing attention to Haman,
the genocidal villain.
And there's never a wrong time to recognize a woman of valor
who saved Judaism for generations to come,
just ask your mother!
Hamantaschen are for everyone children, adults, Jews,
non-Jews, everyone!
There's a hamantaschen filling for every taste,
poppyseed, fruit, nuts, chocolate, peanut butter,
chocolate and peanut butter.
Savory fillings like cheese and spinach,
as well as gluten-free options, are available too!
The possibilities are as endless as your imagination.
Just be sure to make a big batch,
you'll find plenty of hungry friends
at your Purim celebration!
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