What fried potato pancake is traditionally eaten during Hanukkah? The answer is latkes.
A latke is an Ashkenazi Jewish potato pancake or fritter, usually made from shredded potatoes, onion, egg, and a starch such as matzo meal. It is fried in oil and commonly served with applesauce or sour cream.
The oil connects latkes with Hanukkah’s central story: according to Jewish tradition, a small amount of consecrated oil burned for eight days in the rededicated Temple in Jerusalem. Foods cooked in oil therefore became associated with the holiday. Cheese latkes and other vegetable fritters existed before the modern potato version became widespread.
Potato latkes became especially popular in Eastern Europe during the 19th century because potatoes were inexpensive and easy to grow. They are not the same as knishes, which are stuffed pastries, or sufganiyot, which are jelly doughnuts also associated with Hanukkah. The Hebrew term levivot is another name for latkes.