Sufganiyot: The Girl Scout Cookies of Israel
The sufganiya is an artform in Israel and makes its appearance only during the holiday season
Food can reach another level in Israel where the fusions of so many cuisines meet in a paradise of deliciousness. Main dishes and sides can often get the attention in this culinary wonderland, but desserts should not go unnoticed. In a place that is lacking in the pie department, other sweets have taken over the market. Beyond the candies and gummies found at the shuk, another source of a sugar high pokes its head out when the weather starts to turn chilly.
The Rise of the Sufganiya
Along with lighting the menorah, sharing gifts, and spreading light in dark times, the sufgania has taken on a life of its own. This has made its way to other Jewish communities abroad, where kosher bakeries and grocery stores will offer visually and gastrically appealing jelly donuts. Israel takes this to a new level with the prominence and availability of sufganiyot at bakeries and supermarkets. This leads to an important philosophical and Talmudic question:
Have you fully celebrated Chanukah if you haven’t tasted of the chocolate or jelly (or pistachio or nutella ad infinitum) nectar within a sugary puff ball?
The sages have their individual opinions, but I will venture to say that it is to each their own - dietary restrictions and individual taste - but if you can have one, it is a cultural experience.
A Donut As Old As Time
The concept of the sufganiya goes way back. Even Maimonides (the Rambam) thought of it in the 12th Century as already ancient. His father, Rabbi Maimon Ben Yosef, told his son that eating such a fried treat was a practice of the “ancient ones”1.
The name, sufganiya, comes from the Talmud describing a ‘spongy dough’ from the root word sfog meaning sponge. It was brought to Israel by Polish Jews who had fried the dough in shmaltz and not lard due to kashrut laws.
Carol Green Ungar writes of the sufganiya’s origin:
“But the plump, jelly-filled doughnut that we know today is a Western innovation. Food historian Gil Marks dates the first modern sufganiya to 1485, when a recipe for gefullte krapfen appeared in Kuckenmeisterei (Mastery in the kitchen), possibly the first published cookbook, printed on Johannes Gutenberg’s original printing press.
That doughnut was made from two rounds of lard-fried dough glued together with jam and was a popular Xmas treat. Jews substituted goose fat and served their version on Chanukah. Eventually the doughnut traveled eastward to Poland where it was renamed ponchiks or ponchkes. Though we commonly associate latkes with Polish Jewry, Marks says that in some Polish towns ponchiks were the preferred Chanukah treat2.”
The title of #1 that has been held by latkes for many years around the world might be challenged by this story. World Jewry could gain a lot by going back to its roots and embracing the sufganiya as king.
On Par with the Crepe
I would also boldly declare that sufganiyot in Israel might be equivalent to the crepe in France or the kurtosh in Hungary. Something beyond that is its connection to Girl Scout cookies in America. They are seasonal and thus even more precious by way of exclusivity.
One potential obstacle to the acquisition of the sufganiya is the paywall. Sure, you can buy the basic traditional powdery donut filled with less jelly than you’d expect for a reasonable fee. You might, however, need to save up the rest of the year for a Rolladin sufganiya or a famous Kadosh sufganiya in Jerusalem where these sweet treats can fetch around 20 shekel (or $5.44 according to today’s exchange rate). Krispy Kreme would not get away with such lofty prices, but they are also not really on the same level as sufganiyot.
The Jerusalem Post featured ratings in 2022 of the top bakeries in Jerusalem and offers a solid analysis of each one. Roladin ranked among the best, which isn’t surprising when you spot them or taste them3.
“No brand name conjures up as much fame in Israel for sufganiyot as Roladin, the preeminent purveyor of fancy and artsy-looking donuts.” - Aaron Reich
Just as someone might do a bar crawl or tour of different pizzas, a sufganiya crawl is a worthwhile activity. It would be tough to eat so many in one afternoon, but maybe one a day or a few over the course of the holiday is enough.
It’s more common to wish others a Happy and Sweet New Year approaching and on Rosh Hashana, but Chanukah can also usher in sweetness with thanks to the sufganiya.
Song of the Week
A throwback to the days of Static and Ben El. They created a lot of fun music together and now Static does it independently. This one is a poppy and cheerful Chanukah song. It hasn’t caught on as the Israeli Chanukah song, but it can still bring joy.
To learn more about the glory of Kadosh bakery in Jerusalem and their mastery of the sufganiya, here is a video to take youon that journey:
Slang of the Week
תגיד את זה לסבתא שלך
Tu-geed et zeh l’sav-tuh shel-chuh(/uch)
Tell it to your grandma
This is meant as “I don’t believe that at all”
Happy Chanukah! May it be filled with a lot of light.
Thank you kindly for reading this week’s post. I hope that you will continue to read and enjoy.
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Wishing you a Shabbat shalom and a quiet and safe weekend!
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Green Ungar, Carol. “The ‘Hole’ Truth About Sufganiyot”. Jewish Action Magazine. https://jewishaction.com/religion/shabbat-holidays/chanukah/the-hole-truth-about-sufganiyot/
Green Ungar, Carol. “The ‘Hole’ Truth About Sufganiyot”. Jewish Action Magazine. https://jewishaction.com/religion/shabbat-holidays/chanukah/the-hole-truth-about-sufganiyot/
Reich, Aaron. “Hanukkah: What are the best donuts (sufganiyot) in Jerusalem? - review.” Jerusalem Post. https://www.jpost.com/food-recipes/article-724351