Did you know the Hebrew calendar celebrates four distinct New Years? *

The most important and best-known of them is Rosh Hashanah (literally “head of the year”), observed this year from the evening of October 2 through nightfall of October 4.

On Rosh Hashanah, often called the Jewish New Year, individuals attend special services to offer prayers for a year of health and prosperity and affirm their dedication to repenting their misdeeds. They also celebrate in their homes with festive meals featuring foods that are symbolically connected to these same prayers. 

While customs and traditions vary across the global Jewish community, the concept of displaying or sharing symbolic foods add layers of meaning and intention to the holiday.

52 Shabbats: Friday Night Dinners Inspired by a Global Jewish Kitchen, an award-winning and best-selling cookbook by Faith Kramer for The Collective Book Studio, includes menus, recipes, and discussions on this holy day and the food customs surrounding it.

Some of these symbolic foods represent qualities individuals wish to be granted in the coming year. For example, dipping challah or apples into honey and eating foods with honey or date honey (silan), such as Roast Salmon with Citrus Honey Sauce or Sweet-and-Tart Silan-Roasted Carrots with Lentils, communicates a wish for a sweet year. Because of their golden color, carrots express a wish for prosperity, especially when cut into coin shapes, as in North African Carrot Salad. Displaying a fish or lamb head represents the “head of the year,” although many now display or a whole head of cauliflower or serve dishes such as Whole Roasted Cauliflower instead.

Others are “soundalikes” in Hebrew, Yiddish or other historic Jewish languages. Carrots represent a wish to multiply good deeds because their Yiddish name, mehren, means “to multiply.” In Hebrew, carrots are gezer, which is also the verb “to tear,” symbolizing a wish for evil decrees against us to be torn up.  Winter squashes, a type of gourd (kraa), are linked to the word yikara, meaning to be recognized by God for good deeds.  Spice-Rubbed Chicken on Root Vegetables includes both butternut squash and carrots for a double dose of meaning. Similarly, karti, the word for leeks, is related to yikara. Oregano Roast Chicken with Leek and Mint Fritters is a delicious way to honor this symbolism.

Other Jewish food customs also have a place on the holiday table.  Fish and fish-based dishes (such as Baked Gefilte Fish with North African Flavors and Smashed Tomato Topping) are considered “lucky” and represent innocence and fruitfulness. Many Jewish customs associate meat with festive meals. Eating foods mentioned in the Torah, the Jewish holy book, such as pomegranates, are also appropriate for the holiday. Pomegranate Molasses Brisket combines these traditions, adding a Middle Eastern spin to an Eastern European classic.

For Kramer’s own Rosh Hashanah holiday table, she usually starts with baked gefilte fish or Fish in Spicy H’raimi-Style Tomato Sauce, followed by either Chicken Soup of Hawaij Vegetable Soup (both with matzah balls). The main course depends on her guests and might include honeyed salmon, one of the chicken dishes, or brisket. She always likes to offer a substantial vegetarian option, such as the carrots over lentils. Accompaniments might include leek and mint fritters, roasted whole cauliflower, charred greens, or another vegetable dish, Tahini Mashed Potatoes, pasta, or rice. A salad, perhaps with her Lemon Za’Atar and Garlic Dressing, rounds out the meal. Dessert might be Raisin and Almond Twirls, Turkish Coconut Pudding, or a refreshing Fruit Juice Sorbet.  And, of course, there’s her Friday Night Challah.

All these dishes work well throughout the Fall holiday season, including for the meal before the fast of Yom Kippur, Sukkot (a harvest festival known as the Festival of the Booths), and Simca Torah (which celebrates the giving of the Torah).

*Rosh Hashanah is the first of the month of Tishrei (usually September/October), the seventh of the 13 month lunisolar Hebrew calendar.  It kicks off the civil year and marks the creation of humankind. The first of Nisan, typically in March/April, is the first day of the first month of the Jewish calendar and marks the beginning of Exodus from Egypt. The first day of Elul (usually August/September) was the historic tithe day for animals. Tu B’Shevat, the 15^th of Shevat (usually January/February), is considered the New Year of Trees, and was the ancient tithe day for fruit trees.

Get the Recipe: Roast Salmon with Citrus Honey Sauce