1 00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:09,440 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Savor. I'm Any Ries and I'm 2 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:14,120 Speaker 1: Lauren Vogelbaum, and today we're talking about latka's. Yes, in 3 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:17,360 Speaker 1: classic Saver style. As we record this, we're only a 4 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 1: little behind Hanaka is only a few days over over, 5 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:26,279 Speaker 1: but probably as you're listening to this week. Yeah, or 6 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: we're really early for next year. Oh see, that's a 7 00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 1: nice way to look at it. That's good. Do you 8 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:34,160 Speaker 1: have any latica experience, Annie, not a one? You've never 9 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:38,280 Speaker 1: had a latka? Oh? I really am the worst? Jo. Okay, 10 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:40,959 Speaker 1: all right, we're going we're going to fix this. I'm 11 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:44,080 Speaker 1: going to make you some latka's. Um. I. Half of 12 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:46,960 Speaker 1: my family is Jewish, my father's side. And although neither 13 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:50,479 Speaker 1: my mother or father were practicing anything, we did. Um 14 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:52,360 Speaker 1: my mom really liked to cook at home and so 15 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 1: for Hanukkah, we would like the manora and she would 16 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:58,440 Speaker 1: make some latka's and uh so I remember growing up 17 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 1: going through that process. And uh but hey, let's talk 18 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:06,920 Speaker 1: about our question. Let's answer it in fact. What answers? No? 19 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:14,760 Speaker 1: All right, well we'll try, we'll try. We'll try. What 20 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:19,440 Speaker 1: are they? Well, Laticas are a side dish or sometimes 21 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:23,680 Speaker 1: a main dish that's recently traditional to serve at Hanukkah dinners. 22 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:27,080 Speaker 1: They're fried potato pancakes, maybe usually kind of smallish, like 23 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:29,440 Speaker 1: two or three inches across and maybe a quarter to 24 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 1: half of an inch thick. The classic recipe is just 25 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 1: shredded potatoes bound together with a little egg and flour, 26 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:38,479 Speaker 1: seasoned with salt, pepper, and shredded onion, and then pan 27 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:42,560 Speaker 1: fried in oil, and the result is a crispy, creamy, 28 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:45,959 Speaker 1: comforting potato patty with these sort of like lace like 29 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:49,640 Speaker 1: browned edges. And they're served with either apple sauce or 30 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 1: sour cream or both. They sound delicious. They are. I mean, 31 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 1: it's fried potatoes. You can't really go that wrong. Did 32 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:00,600 Speaker 1: you do the apple sauce and sour cream thing? Yeah, 33 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:04,600 Speaker 1: both together because we didn't keep kosher, so we you know, 34 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:07,520 Speaker 1: could have milk and meat in the same meal. It's 35 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 1: a whole thing. We'll get back to it in a minute, 36 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:13,040 Speaker 1: but yeah. Yeah. The blend of the apple sauce and 37 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:15,680 Speaker 1: the sour cream is really important to my lifestyle because 38 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:17,640 Speaker 1: it adds like the tang and the sweetness from the 39 00:02:17,639 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 1: apple sauce and then the cream nous of the sour cream. 40 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 1: You have to have like the right ratio and every bite. Oh, 41 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:26,760 Speaker 1: you sound like a pro I mean to me, that's 42 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: a combination that sounds odd, but I bet it's really good. 43 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:32,880 Speaker 1: It's sort of like a low key apple pie on 44 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:38,359 Speaker 1: top of a fried potato. Alright, I am in um. 45 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:41,440 Speaker 1: As far as the word goes, it is derived from Yiddish, 46 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 1: but it's routs beyond that aren't too clear. Something. It 47 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:47,520 Speaker 1: comes from the Greek word meaning little oily thing. There's 48 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:49,800 Speaker 1: a couple different theories here, like like that Greek word 49 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 1: in question, um, a laddean comes from olive and could 50 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:56,160 Speaker 1: also mean a little oil or a young olive tree. 51 00:02:56,680 --> 00:03:00,079 Speaker 1: Old Russian picked this word up as a ladya, and 52 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:02,440 Speaker 1: I think that's where the concept of the oily thing 53 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:06,400 Speaker 1: was cemented, because it led to the Ukrainian word old ka, 54 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:10,200 Speaker 1: meaning pancake or fritter, and to the Russian word latka 55 00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 1: meaning pastry or confusingly, patch. I don't know, language is weird. 56 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 1: Pastry patch. It's that like a cabbage patch, but with pastries. 57 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:23,359 Speaker 1: Oh no, I went to a terrifying place. I've ever 58 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:27,320 Speaker 1: been to the cabbage patch tree? I haven't, y'all if Um, 59 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:31,200 Speaker 1: if you have ever gone through rural northern Georgia, it 60 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: is northern Okay. Yeah, Yeah, there's a whole cabbage patch 61 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:37,320 Speaker 1: like museum. It's a tree. From what I hear, it's 62 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: very upsetting. I don't want to deter anyone, but I 63 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:44,640 Speaker 1: will say as a kid, it terrified me and most 64 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:49,160 Speaker 1: of my friends. Um, it's like a big tree of 65 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: the Raffiki's tree in the Lion King and there are 66 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 1: these cabbages growing with heads in them around the tree. 67 00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 1: And then while you're in there, you'll hear like crying 68 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 1: baby coming from the tree, and a a nurse will come 69 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 1: out and hold out this cabbage patch baby that was 70 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:07,400 Speaker 1: just born from the tree. And then she's like, we 71 00:04:07,520 --> 00:04:11,120 Speaker 1: must name this cabbage patch doll, and someone usually shouts 72 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:20,320 Speaker 1: out Rebecca. Anyway. Yeah, I mean, it's a whole experience. 73 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 1: It's stuck with me. I can tell that I'm sorry 74 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:27,719 Speaker 1: that I brought it up. It seems it's always back 75 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:39,160 Speaker 1: of my mind, waiting to be recalled and horrifying once again. Well, um, yes, 76 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:44,680 Speaker 1: so at any rate. Um. The first appearance of the 77 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:49,920 Speaker 1: word lutka in English appears to have been around m hmm. 78 00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:53,240 Speaker 1: Now I can't stop thinking about cabbage patch kids, and 79 00:04:53,279 --> 00:04:56,120 Speaker 1: I gotta know more. Maybe we can work it into 80 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:58,360 Speaker 1: an episode on cabbage. But that's not what we're talking 81 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:05,039 Speaker 1: about today, not necessarily goodness. We're talking about LATAs. Oh yeah, 82 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:06,960 Speaker 1: if you want to make them, it's it's relatively simple. 83 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:09,919 Speaker 1: It's a little bit labor intensive. The scientific secret you 84 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:12,839 Speaker 1: see to making crispy leccas or hash brands for that matter, 85 00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:15,840 Speaker 1: is to squeeze out as much moisture as possible from 86 00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:19,080 Speaker 1: the potatoes before you mix them with the other ingredients, 87 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:22,400 Speaker 1: you know, like press them between towels or preferably ring 88 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:26,440 Speaker 1: out your shredded potatoes in cheese cloth, because that way, 89 00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:29,359 Speaker 1: when you put the laticas in the hot oil in 90 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:31,760 Speaker 1: the pan, you want your oil to be like up 91 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:34,640 Speaker 1: around say three d and fifty degrees fahrenheit, that's one 92 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:38,920 Speaker 1: seventy seven celsius, and water boils way below that at 93 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:41,360 Speaker 1: like to twelve farenheight one hundred celsius. Of course, so 94 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:43,599 Speaker 1: when you put your latcas in the pan, the water 95 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:47,760 Speaker 1: in the potatoes is immediately going to start vaporizing into steam. 96 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:50,400 Speaker 1: This creates a barrier on the surface of the laticas, 97 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:53,440 Speaker 1: which prevents the oil from browning them. The longer that 98 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:55,719 Speaker 1: the latcas sit in the pan, the more oil they'll 99 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: soak up, making them more soggy than crunchy at the end. 100 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:01,360 Speaker 1: Not fun is so you squeeze out the excess water 101 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:04,280 Speaker 1: so they'll crisp up nice and quick. Ah. Yes, this 102 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:07,360 Speaker 1: is a very important step that I, um, I don't. 103 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:10,440 Speaker 1: I won't say I'm lazy, but a lot of times 104 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:13,280 Speaker 1: I'm pressed for time streamlined to do it. But it 105 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:17,159 Speaker 1: makes a huge difference. Last animade fried tofu and it 106 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:19,480 Speaker 1: was amazing in it because I squeeze and squeeze out 107 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 1: the minutes and like all those cauliflower recipes, cauliflower pizza crests, 108 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:28,080 Speaker 1: you gotta get the water out of there. You do, 109 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:32,839 Speaker 1: it's just going to be mush it will so yes. Um. 110 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:37,039 Speaker 1: Also pro tip for frying, cast iron is always the 111 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:38,839 Speaker 1: best to do it and it holds heat so well. 112 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:42,240 Speaker 1: So because you don't want your oil temperature dropping too 113 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:46,279 Speaker 1: much because that's gonna again prolong the fry. Also make 114 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:48,560 Speaker 1: sure that you don't crowd your pan. Also, it's going 115 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:50,839 Speaker 1: to drop the temperature the oil lay to longer frying 116 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:55,280 Speaker 1: time and some cooks recommend using instead of flour as 117 00:06:55,279 --> 00:06:57,960 Speaker 1: a binder, a little bit of potato starch and motso 118 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:00,920 Speaker 1: meal in your batter to to bind the mixture together 119 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:03,520 Speaker 1: and to keep it crisper um. You can even save 120 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:06,120 Speaker 1: the water that you squeeze off of your potatoes, let 121 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:08,840 Speaker 1: the starch settle to the bottom, Pour off the liquid, 122 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 1: and add the starch back into your batter. Hey, Latan numbers, 123 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:17,320 Speaker 1: I don't. I don't have any Latan numbers. We're not 124 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:22,640 Speaker 1: easy to find, surprisingly, um, but I didn't want you 125 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:25,960 Speaker 1: all to know that. Every year, the University of Chicago 126 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:31,160 Speaker 1: hosts an academic Latka Hamantash Debate, in which notable scientists 127 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:35,400 Speaker 1: and scholars present arguments over which food is better. If 128 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:38,040 Speaker 1: you don't know what hamantash and are their triangular cookies 129 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:40,440 Speaker 1: that are filled with like jam or whatever. They're sweet filling, 130 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:44,960 Speaker 1: and they're served at another Jewish holiday poem. This debate 131 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:48,400 Speaker 1: is held the Tuesday before Thanksgiving every year. They serve 132 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 1: like a bunch of latkas in hammontash in and yeah, 133 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:54,200 Speaker 1: they put on like their full academic regalia, like it 134 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:58,200 Speaker 1: is a serious thing. I love it. And all kinds 135 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:04,560 Speaker 1: of folks come and speak like philosophers, religious historians, linguists, anthropologists, chemists, economists, 136 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:11,360 Speaker 1: and mathematicians, astrophysicists, who knew so much in such a 137 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:16,480 Speaker 1: small package. Yes, I'm so tickled by it. Um there was. 138 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:20,880 Speaker 1: One of the recent ones was debating which, whether we're there, 139 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:25,880 Speaker 1: the Luca or the Hamantas was better suited for teaching 140 00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:31,160 Speaker 1: under the new common core. I also have an excerpt 141 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:34,960 Speaker 1: for you from from one Hannah Holburn Gray. Her piece 142 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 1: was titled the Latca's Role in the Renaissance, And and 143 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:45,640 Speaker 1: here's here's a quote for you. Although Machiavelli was a 144 00:08:45,679 --> 00:08:48,800 Speaker 1: lot command, he has to be analyzed like a Hamantas. This, 145 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:52,200 Speaker 1: among other things, makes him quite unusual. Machiavelli may never 146 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:54,719 Speaker 1: mean what he says, that the external surface hides a 147 00:08:54,760 --> 00:08:57,600 Speaker 1: different meaning within that. He is a master of deception. 148 00:08:58,720 --> 00:09:01,480 Speaker 1: That's deep. I know, right, I didn't know he was 149 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:04,440 Speaker 1: a lot comn I don't think he was. But you know, 150 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:06,880 Speaker 1: I'm not going to say that everything that these people 151 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:10,520 Speaker 1: say during these arguments is strictly true and accurate. Oh 152 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:16,719 Speaker 1: don't dash our dreams before they've even began. It's nonetheless 153 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:19,920 Speaker 1: extremely entertaining. You can look at videos of this from 154 00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:25,400 Speaker 1: recent years. Anyway, this this brings us to some Lata history. 155 00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:28,040 Speaker 1: But first it brings us to a quick break for 156 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:38,959 Speaker 1: a word from our sponsor, and we're back. Thank you sponsoring, Yes, 157 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:43,319 Speaker 1: thank you. All Right. To understand where the latka comes 158 00:09:43,320 --> 00:09:46,120 Speaker 1: from and why it's a Hanuka food, we need to 159 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:50,040 Speaker 1: go back to old Testament times. I would say most 160 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:52,880 Speaker 1: of us know the story of the oil that lasted 161 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:56,120 Speaker 1: eight days. Yeah, it goes like this for anyone who's 162 00:09:56,160 --> 00:09:59,040 Speaker 1: unfamiliar or perhaps needs a refresher. It was the second 163 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:02,200 Speaker 1: century BC, and the small rebel squad led by one 164 00:10:02,320 --> 00:10:06,040 Speaker 1: Judaeth the Maccabee, drove their religious oppressors from their land 165 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:10,480 Speaker 1: and went to then rededicate their temple, but most of 166 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:13,920 Speaker 1: the holy oil for their lamps had been desecrated. As 167 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:17,880 Speaker 1: miraculous as their victory, one day's worth of oil lasted 168 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:22,480 Speaker 1: eight hence the lighting, hence the lighting of the Menorah 169 00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:25,160 Speaker 1: for eight days. Yes, yes, And this is one of 170 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:27,600 Speaker 1: the reasons that fried food is a part of a 171 00:10:27,640 --> 00:10:30,520 Speaker 1: lot of Hanuka foods. The oil thing, yeah, yeah, Also 172 00:10:30,559 --> 00:10:35,320 Speaker 1: it's delicious, I would argue, yes, um. But Lacas have 173 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:38,280 Speaker 1: a more specific mention and at least one of the 174 00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:41,559 Speaker 1: versions of the Book of Judith, which wasn't included in 175 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:43,880 Speaker 1: Jewish religious texts, but it was a part of the 176 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:48,680 Speaker 1: Catholic and some Christian Bibles of Europe. Now, Judith wanted 177 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:51,040 Speaker 1: to kill the head of the Assyrian army that was 178 00:10:51,160 --> 00:10:55,640 Speaker 1: invading her village. Hallo Fernyes, there's all of this amazing 179 00:10:55,760 --> 00:10:59,120 Speaker 1: artwork of Judith super stabbing Hollo Ferns and cutting off 180 00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 1: his head really hard. There's some great lists of like 181 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:04,720 Speaker 1: how good all the paintings are on the internet. It's terrific. 182 00:11:04,760 --> 00:11:10,000 Speaker 1: Look it up well spoiler alert indeed, Lord, Yeah, so 183 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:13,440 Speaker 1: Judie is looking to kill this general. Got him good 184 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:17,319 Speaker 1: and drunk on wine and full with salty cheese, basically 185 00:11:17,440 --> 00:11:21,040 Speaker 1: nice and sleepy. Um. Well these might have been cheese 186 00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:24,920 Speaker 1: pancakes maybe important for this. And then she cut off 187 00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:28,760 Speaker 1: his head with his own sword. Yeah sorry, spoiler alert. Yeah, 188 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:33,680 Speaker 1: I think the statue is probably over by now. And 189 00:11:33,760 --> 00:11:36,600 Speaker 1: then one way or the other, depending on which version 190 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:39,000 Speaker 1: of the story you read, she showed his head to 191 00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:43,600 Speaker 1: the Israelites. Maybe she put it on a stick, you know, 192 00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:47,120 Speaker 1: and they then were able to launch a surprise attack 193 00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:50,040 Speaker 1: on the Assyrian army or possibly the a Syrian army 194 00:11:50,080 --> 00:11:52,320 Speaker 1: saw the head and we're like, okay, oh, never mind. 195 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:57,360 Speaker 1: But anyway, the they the army left one way or 196 00:11:57,440 --> 00:12:01,520 Speaker 1: the other, and Judith kind of became adopted as the 197 00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:05,760 Speaker 1: sort of hero of this story. Yeah, also got me 198 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:08,320 Speaker 1: in very big trouble once because there is a perfect 199 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:11,120 Speaker 1: circle song called Judith, and I was young and I 200 00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:14,559 Speaker 1: didn't realize the religious the tones of it. And as 201 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:16,560 Speaker 1: you know, Lauren, I used to have a CD burning 202 00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:21,240 Speaker 1: business back in my youth, and I put that song 203 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:25,520 Speaker 1: Judith on a random and he's mixed c D and 204 00:12:25,679 --> 00:12:27,880 Speaker 1: it got back to the parent of a friend of 205 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:33,080 Speaker 1: mine who thought I was making fun of religion. Um, 206 00:12:33,240 --> 00:12:37,160 Speaker 1: I got some Wow. My parents didn't care, but he 207 00:12:37,200 --> 00:12:43,360 Speaker 1: wouldn't let her attend any of my party for a while. Anyway, 208 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:50,160 Speaker 1: That's that's my own burden to bear. But back to this, 209 00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:54,480 Speaker 1: the story of Judith. Some historians disagree on the timing, 210 00:12:54,840 --> 00:12:58,160 Speaker 1: whether this bet some of those stories yeah, yeah to 211 00:12:58,320 --> 00:13:01,040 Speaker 1: the tellings of the tale right, whether this beheading took 212 00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:04,920 Speaker 1: place around the Maccabi uprising or if the two events 213 00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:07,920 Speaker 1: took place centuries apart. But the passing down of these 214 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:12,120 Speaker 1: stories among Jewish communities cemented the latka or this like 215 00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:17,360 Speaker 1: cheese pancake thing as part of the Hanukkah traditions. Sort of, 216 00:13:17,640 --> 00:13:19,480 Speaker 1: we'll get back to that. Dairy is also an important 217 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:21,760 Speaker 1: part of Hanukah as well, in honor of Judith, and 218 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:23,880 Speaker 1: for a long time that meant that the latca of 219 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:29,640 Speaker 1: choice was the cheese laca. Yes, eating foods that were oily. 220 00:13:29,720 --> 00:13:32,080 Speaker 1: To harken back to this miracle of the oil, goes 221 00:13:32,120 --> 00:13:36,079 Speaker 1: back thousands of years a letter written by a rabbi 222 00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:39,240 Speaker 1: from the ninth century CE. In it, the rabbi urged 223 00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:41,840 Speaker 1: his whole community to eat oily foods for hanak He 224 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:44,880 Speaker 1: was like, please check this seriously, it's important. And the 225 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:49,240 Speaker 1: latka itself comes into the equation a bit later. If 226 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:55,280 Speaker 1: we go back to and Italian Rabbi Ben Colonymous, the 227 00:13:55,360 --> 00:13:58,640 Speaker 1: rabbi had a list of what a perfect perm feast entailed, 228 00:13:58,720 --> 00:14:01,360 Speaker 1: and pancakes were on that list. I will say that 229 00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:04,439 Speaker 1: the story of Esther, which is part of Peram, is 230 00:14:04,679 --> 00:14:08,400 Speaker 1: also about a lady saving her land by like super 231 00:14:08,559 --> 00:14:11,840 Speaker 1: by getting a dude drunken killing them. So it seems 232 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:13,840 Speaker 1: to be a thing. Yeah, So so there's so there's 233 00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:16,360 Speaker 1: a lot of like parallels in the Judah Ester stories, 234 00:14:16,400 --> 00:14:21,160 Speaker 1: so there's been some comparisons over time of celebrations involving 235 00:14:21,280 --> 00:14:27,480 Speaker 1: Judathan involving Ester. Anyway, Yeah, okay, cool, jumping ahead too. 236 00:14:27,560 --> 00:14:31,040 Speaker 1: And the Spanish expelled the Jewish people from Sicily, and 237 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:33,560 Speaker 1: a lot of them made their way to northern Italy, 238 00:14:33,920 --> 00:14:37,240 Speaker 1: and they brought with them their recipes for pancakes made 239 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:41,520 Speaker 1: with ricotta cheese. The Jewish community in the area readily 240 00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:48,400 Speaker 1: adopted them because they combined fried food and dairy. Fried 241 00:14:48,520 --> 00:14:51,880 Speaker 1: ricotta cheese pancakes were the norm for a long time, 242 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:56,320 Speaker 1: right up until the eighteen hundreds. Poland and the Ukraine 243 00:14:56,360 --> 00:14:59,320 Speaker 1: experienced a series of crop failures that resulted in a 244 00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:03,160 Speaker 1: lot of potatoes getting planted by a degree of Russian 245 00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:06,240 Speaker 1: Empress Catherine the Great, who is using it as a 246 00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:10,440 Speaker 1: way to prevent mass starvation hopefully um The potatoes were 247 00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:14,040 Speaker 1: inexpensive and relatively easy to grow, and they grew quickly. 248 00:15:15,040 --> 00:15:18,840 Speaker 1: Sar Nicholas the First really enforced this rule, and as 249 00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:23,800 Speaker 1: a result, potatoes became a mainstay in the Eastern European diet. 250 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:27,960 Speaker 1: The Jewish population was growing rapidly in the area at 251 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:30,960 Speaker 1: the time too, from one point six million Jewish people 252 00:15:31,160 --> 00:15:33,120 Speaker 1: in the area that is now Russia and Poland in 253 00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:38,440 Speaker 1: to over six million by nineteen hundred, sends people out 254 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:40,520 Speaker 1: a lot of potatoes on hand, and making a potato 255 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:44,640 Speaker 1: latka was easier than making a ricotta latka, people started 256 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:49,560 Speaker 1: switching over to the potato lodka. It also probably helped. 257 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:52,200 Speaker 1: The potatoes are part of a that is, they can 258 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:55,160 Speaker 1: be eaten with either milk or with meat. And this 259 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:58,280 Speaker 1: is important because Jewish dietary guidelines called the Kosher Laws 260 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:00,720 Speaker 1: forbid eating milk and meat during the same meal, or 261 00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:03,600 Speaker 1: even cooking and serving them using the same kitchen and 262 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:08,000 Speaker 1: dining gear. Serving cheese latka's both means that you're limiting 263 00:16:08,040 --> 00:16:09,800 Speaker 1: your options for the rest of a meal. You can 264 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:12,440 Speaker 1: have any meat with it um and that you have 265 00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:16,000 Speaker 1: to use either butter or vegetable oils for frying, because 266 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:19,440 Speaker 1: if you fry a dairy thing with if you use 267 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:25,120 Speaker 1: like schmaltz, yes and yeah, and speaking of and speaking 268 00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:28,840 Speaker 1: of these first potato lot because we're fried and chicken 269 00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:32,440 Speaker 1: fat a k a schmaltz and we're called potato a 270 00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:35,760 Speaker 1: lot because but eventually they became so commonplace the potato 271 00:16:35,880 --> 00:16:39,200 Speaker 1: was dropped and they just became known as vodkas. And 272 00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:42,360 Speaker 1: as we talked about in our butter episode, folks in 273 00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:45,360 Speaker 1: northern Europe didn't have easy access to vegetable oils at 274 00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:47,760 Speaker 1: the time, like sesame and olive. Oils had to be 275 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:50,840 Speaker 1: imported at a pretty significant expense to get them into 276 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:54,960 Speaker 1: Northern Europe. So yeah, another vote pro potato. If what 277 00:16:55,040 --> 00:16:58,360 Speaker 1: you've got to cook in is schmaltz, then cooking the 278 00:16:58,400 --> 00:17:05,320 Speaker 1: potato is better cooking cheese. Right and file under episodes 279 00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:10,760 Speaker 1: for a later date because potato. Yeah, but relevant to 280 00:17:10,840 --> 00:17:14,680 Speaker 1: this um. Potatoes were actually pretty new to Europe, brought 281 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:17,000 Speaker 1: back by those who made the journey to the New 282 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:21,200 Speaker 1: World in the fift hundreds, and they weren't really popular 283 00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:24,000 Speaker 1: at first. They were bitter I read that the texture 284 00:17:24,119 --> 00:17:29,200 Speaker 1: was watery. But one dude helped popularize them. French scientists 285 00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:34,200 Speaker 1: Antoine Augustine Parmentier. He survived almost solely on potatoes during 286 00:17:34,240 --> 00:17:37,520 Speaker 1: his time as a prisoner in Bavaria, and when he 287 00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:40,720 Speaker 1: was released, he became the pr person for the potato. 288 00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:45,680 Speaker 1: He wanted everyone to eat potatoes, and thanks to his efforts, 289 00:17:45,680 --> 00:17:49,760 Speaker 1: eating potatoes caught on in France and then in the 290 00:17:49,800 --> 00:17:55,320 Speaker 1: rest of Europe. Huh. Yeah. I feel like if there 291 00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:57,280 Speaker 1: was something that I was, you know, forced to eat 292 00:17:57,320 --> 00:17:59,360 Speaker 1: as a prisoner a lot, I wouldn't be like, oh man, 293 00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:03,920 Speaker 1: this food. Yeah. I think he was really grateful that 294 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:07,320 Speaker 1: he survived the experience and he thought like these things 295 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:11,640 Speaker 1: they sustained me. Oh that's a lot. That's a that's 296 00:18:11,680 --> 00:18:14,320 Speaker 1: a lot nicer than my initial reaction. Was good for him. 297 00:18:14,359 --> 00:18:17,520 Speaker 1: He took a he's sounds like a glass half full, 298 00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:22,840 Speaker 1: and it's half full. Potatoes. We have even more lat 299 00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:25,320 Speaker 1: history for you, we do, but first we've got a 300 00:18:25,359 --> 00:18:37,160 Speaker 1: quick break for a word from our sponsor, and we're back. 301 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:41,520 Speaker 1: Thank you, sponsor, Thank you. So as we approached the 302 00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:45,320 Speaker 1: late eighteen hundreds, in the early nineteen hundreds, Jewish immigrants 303 00:18:45,359 --> 00:18:47,719 Speaker 1: started bringing a lot Because with them to the United States. 304 00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:51,360 Speaker 1: One of the first American Jewish cookbooks, Aunt Babbitt's cookbook 305 00:18:51,440 --> 00:18:54,560 Speaker 1: Foreign and Domestic Recipes for the Household, published in eighteen 306 00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:58,920 Speaker 1: eighty nine, had a lot of Care recipe. The American 307 00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:03,040 Speaker 1: Mercury described lot Because as luscious pancakes made of greeted 308 00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:09,840 Speaker 1: raw potatoes mixed with flour and shortening. Very delicious indeed, 309 00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:13,440 Speaker 1: and then food science came for the latka in the 310 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:18,439 Speaker 1: nineties and ant Jemima the company came out with a 311 00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:22,600 Speaker 1: boxed vodka mix. Yeah, I don't know, I don't know 312 00:19:22,640 --> 00:19:26,560 Speaker 1: how that turned out. Chriscoe started pushing to be the 313 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:29,280 Speaker 1: oil of choice when making a lot because they had 314 00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:33,080 Speaker 1: ads specifically saying like, the only oil for your lot, 315 00:19:33,119 --> 00:19:38,800 Speaker 1: because okay, sure uh. Six was the first year that 316 00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:42,560 Speaker 1: that University of Chicago Latka Hamantash debate happened at the 317 00:19:42,560 --> 00:19:45,320 Speaker 1: campus hell l House held it because at the time, 318 00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:48,240 Speaker 1: coming off of World War Two, open displays of Jewish 319 00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:51,119 Speaker 1: culture were apparently discouraged in a lot of academia, and 320 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:54,040 Speaker 1: they wanted to just give folks an opportunity to celebrate 321 00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:56,440 Speaker 1: their culture and to poke a little bit of fun 322 00:19:56,440 --> 00:20:00,960 Speaker 1: at the seriousness of academic life. Sounds like a lot 323 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:05,280 Speaker 1: of fun to be had. The art of Jewish cooking, 324 00:20:05,359 --> 00:20:09,000 Speaker 1: which is sort of This famous American Jewish cookbook came 325 00:20:09,160 --> 00:20:13,800 Speaker 1: with this quote about potato LATAs, which the wives of 326 00:20:13,840 --> 00:20:16,960 Speaker 1: the soldiers of the ancient hero Judah mccabee hurriedly cooked 327 00:20:16,960 --> 00:20:20,800 Speaker 1: for their men behind lines. But this isn't precisely true, 328 00:20:20,840 --> 00:20:23,439 Speaker 1: since there were no potatoes in that region at the time, 329 00:20:23,760 --> 00:20:28,120 Speaker 1: and I did read so many articles about people who 330 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:30,919 Speaker 1: grew up thinking when they would have a lot kidding 331 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:33,320 Speaker 1: Hanuka that it had like this long tradition and that 332 00:20:33,359 --> 00:20:37,920 Speaker 1: was exactly what they were eating. Yeah. Then, but it's 333 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:44,080 Speaker 1: sort of kind of newish. Yeah, I mean, yes, way 334 00:20:44,119 --> 00:20:48,959 Speaker 1: new assure than that. Way new assure than that getting 335 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:55,879 Speaker 1: to the real truths goodness, And that about wraps up 336 00:20:55,880 --> 00:20:59,600 Speaker 1: our Latca episode. It does. I very determined to try 337 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:03,280 Speaker 1: one fruitcake and ladka before the end of the year. 338 00:21:04,880 --> 00:21:07,960 Speaker 1: I have a very strange party, but it'll be great, 339 00:21:08,119 --> 00:21:09,960 Speaker 1: It'll be well. And also, I mean, like, I don't know, 340 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:12,199 Speaker 1: I feel like to really I need to do this 341 00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:15,080 Speaker 1: aged fruitcake thing. Oh yeah, so it would be like 342 00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:19,080 Speaker 1: next year when we're eating it. Yeah, okay, anyway we 343 00:21:19,119 --> 00:21:23,600 Speaker 1: can light it on fire? Yes, yes, all right? Cool? 344 00:21:23,760 --> 00:21:30,520 Speaker 1: And this brings us to listen to man. Gabby wrote 345 00:21:30,560 --> 00:21:34,000 Speaker 1: about our pecan episode. My mom and stepdad you still 346 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:36,719 Speaker 1: live in Texas and had a large pecan tree in 347 00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:39,840 Speaker 1: their backyard. After they finished gathering them in the fall, 348 00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:42,359 Speaker 1: they would spend a few hours every morning sitting around 349 00:21:42,400 --> 00:21:44,639 Speaker 1: the kitchen table and cracking them with a special pecan 350 00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:48,160 Speaker 1: cracker that would split the pecans into two nice halves. 351 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:51,080 Speaker 1: They would then put them in ziplock gallon bags and 352 00:21:51,119 --> 00:21:52,879 Speaker 1: store them in the freezer and use them for cooking 353 00:21:52,960 --> 00:21:56,480 Speaker 1: and baking. I would go visit them once a year 354 00:21:56,480 --> 00:21:59,280 Speaker 1: and always bring an empty suitcase with me that they 355 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:02,160 Speaker 1: then would that would then be filled with zip flog 356 00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:05,760 Speaker 1: bags of the pecans. This always reminded me of in 357 00:22:05,800 --> 00:22:09,600 Speaker 1: the movies when you see drag dealers open their bags 358 00:22:09,720 --> 00:22:13,040 Speaker 1: up and I have neatly stacked bags of cocaine. Like now, 359 00:22:13,119 --> 00:22:14,919 Speaker 1: I imagine what the people at the airport would think 360 00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:17,320 Speaker 1: when they opened up the suitcase to see what was inside. 361 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:21,240 Speaker 1: Still makes me laugh to this day. I would share 362 00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:23,119 Speaker 1: the becons with my friends and we would laugh about 363 00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:28,560 Speaker 1: me being the pecan mule. A suitcase of picans fantastic? 364 00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:32,960 Speaker 1: Is fantastic? Oh man, I need some of these fresh pecans, Okay, 365 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:36,560 Speaker 1: all right? Michelle wrote, your Thanksgiving episode cracked me up. 366 00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:38,440 Speaker 1: When you talked about Annie's brother deciding to be a 367 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:42,080 Speaker 1: vegetarian the day before Thanksgiving. It reminded me of what 368 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:44,720 Speaker 1: is oddly one of my favorite Thanksgiving memories. I was 369 00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:47,040 Speaker 1: a vegetarian and middle and part of high school and 370 00:22:47,119 --> 00:22:49,959 Speaker 1: usually just ate the sides. One year, my aunt decided 371 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:52,000 Speaker 1: to make me a walnut mushroom loaf so I could 372 00:22:52,040 --> 00:22:55,840 Speaker 1: have a main dish. I never actually liked mushrooms much, 373 00:22:55,840 --> 00:22:58,160 Speaker 1: but I ate it to be polite. As it turns out, 374 00:22:58,200 --> 00:23:01,440 Speaker 1: I'm very allergic to mushrooms, which we discovered that heavening 375 00:23:02,560 --> 00:23:06,280 Speaker 1: my whole life. My chin had occasionally turned purple after 376 00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:08,960 Speaker 1: eating things like pizza or spaghetti, but we were never 377 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:11,040 Speaker 1: able to figure out what it was about those foods 378 00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:14,080 Speaker 1: I was allergic to. This time, I broke out completely 379 00:23:14,119 --> 00:23:16,400 Speaker 1: in hives everywhere and spent the rest of the weekend 380 00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:20,000 Speaker 1: in a penetrale induced stupor. My aunt felt terrible, but 381 00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:22,199 Speaker 1: we were so glad to have finally solved the mystery 382 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:24,399 Speaker 1: of what I was allergic to. It wasn't fun at 383 00:23:24,400 --> 00:23:27,080 Speaker 1: the time, but it's a great family story in retrospect, 384 00:23:27,359 --> 00:23:30,600 Speaker 1: I'm grateful of the trouble flavored everything trend seems to 385 00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:33,320 Speaker 1: be diminishing a bit, because that made life tricky for 386 00:23:33,359 --> 00:23:38,919 Speaker 1: a while. It sounds like a memorable Thanksgiving, Yes, so 387 00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:43,160 Speaker 1: always better to know it is. It's great. It's great 388 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:49,280 Speaker 1: to have those things identified makes you much safer, Yeah, much, 389 00:23:49,359 --> 00:23:55,440 Speaker 1: less hives, fewer hives overall, all good, all good. It's 390 00:23:55,440 --> 00:24:00,520 Speaker 1: been so wonderful hearing everybody from everybody about there Thanksgiving taps. 391 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:05,199 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, it made me feel less less alone in 392 00:24:05,280 --> 00:24:10,439 Speaker 1: my mishap pro Thanksgiving memories. Thanks to both of them 393 00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:13,240 Speaker 1: for writing. You two can write to us. Our email 394 00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:16,360 Speaker 1: is hello at savor pod dot com. You can also 395 00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:18,919 Speaker 1: find us on social media. We are on Facebook, Twitter, 396 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:21,800 Speaker 1: and Instagram at savor pod. We do hope to hear 397 00:24:21,840 --> 00:24:24,800 Speaker 1: from you. Thank you to our super producer Andrew Howard. 398 00:24:24,880 --> 00:24:27,320 Speaker 1: Thank you so much to you for listening, and we 399 00:24:27,359 --> 00:24:29,240 Speaker 1: hope that lots more good things are coming your way. 400 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:38,040 Speaker 1: Thanks to both of them for writing. You two can 401 00:24:38,119 --> 00:24:40,840 Speaker 1: write to us. Our email is hello at savor pod 402 00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:57,760 Speaker 1: dot com. Why are right? If you would also like 403 00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:00,840 Speaker 1: to latka, you can lata latka. You could lack go 404 00:25:00,920 --> 00:25:03,760 Speaker 1: all the time at laka loca at lata Laca laca. 405 00:25:04,119 --> 00:25:15,160 Speaker 1: That's what I'm to say. Okay, cheesy, crazy, It's Andrew Howard, right, 406 00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:21,440 Speaker 1: Andrew lacka. I just should have known based on the 407 00:25:21,560 --> 00:25:23,040 Speaker 1: daily episode My God,