What is the name of the Jewish fried jelly doughnut eaten on Hanukkah?

The Jewish fried jelly doughnut eaten on Hanukkah is called a sufganiyah; the plural form is sufganiyot.

A typical sufganiyah is made from sweet yeast dough, deep-fried, filled with jelly or jam and dusted with powdered sugar. Modern versions may contain chocolate, custard, dulce de leche, halva or other fillings. Its connection to Hanukkah comes from the custom of eating foods fried in oil, recalling the oil associated with the rededication of the Second Temple.

The pastry has European relatives, including the Polish ponchik and German Berliner. Jewish immigrants brought related doughnuts to Palestine, where the Hebrew name sufganiyah became widely established. The word is linked to Talmudic terms describing something spongy.

Sufganiyot are not the same as latkes. Latkes are usually savory potato pancakes, while sufganiyot are sweet filled doughnuts. Both are Hanukkah foods, but they represent different branches of the holiday’s oil-fried culinary tradition.