Presented by
Leah Zeldes

In the pantheon of Jewish festival foods, the Hanukkah latke may be the
tastiest. The Jewish festival of Hanukkah began about 164 B.C.E., after
a small tribe of Jews triumphed over the Syrian-Greek rulers of
Jerusalem and the rededicated their Temple. So how did this potato
pancake become such an integral part of the celebration? What gave a New
World vegetable such a starring role in the commemoration of an ancient
Jewish victory?

Food writer and culinary historian Leah A. Zeldes offers a colorful talk
on the history of the potato latke and its integration into the Hanukkah
festivities.

After beginning as a news reporter, Zeldes, a Chicago journalist, spent
15 years as food and entertainment editor of the city’s erstwhile Lerner
Newspapers chain. Today, she writes regularly about food and all kinds
of other subjects for a variety of media, including the Chicago
Sun-Times, the Daily Herald and Plate magazine. You can also hear her in
podcasts on ChicagoScope.com.

Latkes will be served after the program.