Page 26 - HaMizrachi #27 Purim USA 2021

Lend Me

Your Ears

The History of Hamentaschen

hat would Purim be without In Yiddish, hamentaschen means
our beloved hamentaschen? “Haman’s pockets.” (Although the cor-
WThey’re an age-old tradi- rect singular form of the word is hamen-
tion, but what exactly is the origin of tasch, most English speakers use the
these delicious Purim treats? Why do plural form interchangeably; i.e., “I ate
we eat them on Purim, and what do a chocolate hamentaschen” presumably
they represent? to allow themselves to actually consume
As their name implies, it seems they are more than one.)
connected to the defeated villain of the The word hamentaschen may be
Purim story, Haman. symbolic of the money Haman gave

One of the oldest mentions of a Purim to Achashverosh in exchange for per-
treat referred to as oznei Haman, mission to kill the Jews, taken from his
Haman’s ears, is from Italy in the own “pockets” or “pouches.” Perhaps it
1500s, in a skit written by Yehu- is also a reference to the Hebrew, שת, to
dah Sommo. Although oznei weaken, symbolizing the weakening of
Haman in Modern Hebrew Haman. Alternatively, the original name
are synonymous with may have been man-taschen, literally,
hamentaschen, this may “poppy-seed pockets,” with the ha being
have been a reference to added on later. Ha ha!
another, lesser-known Why the three-sided shape though?
Purim pastry, hamen- A simple explanation is that folding
ohren, literally “Haman’s ears.” and baking dough around a filling to
Unlike their triangular cousins, form a pouch, such as dumplings, was
hamen-ohren have no filling, and are a common form of Ashkenazi baking.
actually shaped like ears. Although A well-known legend brought by the
there is a myth that Haman’s ears were Sefer HaMoadim explains that Haman
cut off before he was hanged, there is had a three-cornered hat. The Midrash
no documentation to verify this. Merely says that when Haman recognized the
hearsay... merit of the three Avot, his strength

26 |