Tova’s Charoset Recipe for Pessach
By Nitza Gilad
My great mother in law, Tova (Yes, Consul General’s mother), used to prepare Charoset and give it to all family members as a gift for Pesach in a nice cup….And we are not going to miss it this year… Tova is coming all the way from Israel to Chicago with her Charoset… …… Yummy!
This Ashkenazi Charoset recipe consists of the most basic ingredients of all Charoset recipes but don’t make a mistake... it’s the best one… very light with fresh fruits...
The word "Charoset" comes from the Hebrew word "Cheres", meaning "clay.
Charoset symbolizes the mortar with which the Hebrews, as slaves, used for the Pharaoh (King) to make bricks to build store-houses and cities that served as supply centers such as Pithom and Ra'amses in ancient Egypt. Today, just about all Jewish communities try to make the color of Charoset as close as possible to the color of the mortar that was used by the Hebrews. In fact, Jews in Salonika Greece even add a pinch of ground brick to their versions of Charoset so that the Charoset contains actual bits of mortar! (Yummy!)
An Ashkenazi Charoset recipe will reflect the ingredients that were available to Jewish families in the cities and countries where Jews resided such as: Central, Northwestern, and Eastern Europe. The following recipes are similar to other recipes from the middle Ages onward…. Here it is… Tova’s recipe...
1 green apple, peeled and grated no seeds
½ cup crushed (not ground) walnuts or almonds
¼ cup white raisins
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-2 Tablespoons matzo flour
¼ -1/2 cup sweet Passover wine
Honey or sugar to taste
Gently mix well. It keeps well in the refrigerator.
It is as simple as that…… We eat it all week on Matza……
B’teavon! And Happy Passover!
Yours, Nitza Gilad at programs@chicago.mfa.gov.il