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