The Queen Who Saved Her People

Today is the second day of Purim, the Jewish holiday commemorating family, community and unity. This is one of the more lighthearted holidays in the Jewish religion where people dress up in costumes, give gift baskets, eat holiday cookies called hamantaschen, have a feast and are even encouraged to drink wine. There is a tradition to celebrate with wine on Purim to keep the joyful nature of the holiday alive.  

Purim celebrates the story of Esther and what she accomplished for the Jewish people. In 476 BC, Esther was married to a Persian king, Ahasuerus, but she hid the fact that she was Jewish. There are many theories as to why Esther kept her religion a secret, but one popular theory is, because she was Jewish, there was fear that she would be treated badly, treated like an outsider. As the story goes, the king had an advisor named Haman who had an evil plan to exterminate the Jewish community in the Persian Empire. The king allowed Haman to execute his plan not knowing the personal consequences of his action. Esther was forced to make a crucial decision; keep her religion hidden and save herself or reveal her true identity to king Ahasuerus and save her people. Esther chose her people and convinced the king that Haman was the true force of evil. Instead of the Jews being on the receiving end of annihilation it was Haman who faced execution. Because of Esther and her bravery, the Jewish people were saved.  

Those who celebrate Purim wear a costume or a mask to represent Esther concealing her identity from the king. And like most Jewish holidays, good food is involved. Eating and baking hamantaschen's are one of the most recognizable (and scrumptious) aspects of Purim, the three-sided pastry is filled with various fillings like poppyseed, jam and chocolate. There is a long-held belief that the triangle-shaped hamantaschen represents Haman's favorite three-cornered hat. Taking a bite out of the cookie is symbolic defiance of bowing down to Haman and preventing him from going forth with his evil plan.  

We have included a classic hamantaschen recipe for you to sweeten up your holiday spirit, by baker Julie from Bunsen Burner Bakery.  

Ingredients:  

1 cup sugar 

1/3 cup butter, room temperature 

1/3 cup vegetable oil` 

3 eggs, room temperature 

½ cup milk, room temperature 

1 tablespoon vanilla extract  

4 ¼ cup all-purpose flour  

½ teaspoon salt  

20 ounces fruit preservative or filling of your choice  

Instructions:  

In a large mixing bowl, beat together sugar and butter until pale and fluffy. Add in the oil, followed by the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract; mix well. 

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly incorporate this into the wet ingredients, one cup at a time. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky. Roll into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. 

Preheat oven to 350 °F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Divide chilled dough into 4 portions. On a generously floured surface, roll out each piece to a 1/6” thickness. The dough will be sticky, so continue to flour as you work with the dough. 

Use a 3.5” circle cutter to cut out as many circles as possible from the dough; gather up scraps and continue to roll again. 

Move the circles of dough to the prepared baking dishes. Spoon one and a half to two teaspoons of filling into the center of the circle. Shape into triangles by folding up three sides over the filling and push down on the corners. 

Refrigerate the cookie sheet with unbaked hamantaschen for at least 20 minutes before baking. 

Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the cookies are barely golden. Cool on a wire rack. Best consumed within 3 days – the cookies will get a little soggy after that, thanks to the fruit preserves. 

Happy Purim!  

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