Okay so Hanukkah doesn’t have the religious gravitas of, say, Passover or Rosh Hashanah, but it’s still an important celebration for Jewish friends and family to get-together over faith and food.
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Since the holiday commemorates a miraculous event in ancient times when there was only enough holy oil for a lamp in the temple to burn for one day — but it burned for eight — many of the foods served incorporate oil. There are crispy latkes, blini, noodle kugel, and brisket.
The desserts typical of this holiday are particularly delicious, and By the Way Bakery, with goodies that are all kosher pareve (their commissary kitchen in Pleasantville is supervised by leading kosher certification agency OK Kosher Certification, and there’s three retail locations under the supervision of Rabbi Aaron Mehlman of National Kosher Supervision), offers an exceptional seasonal item that makes it an ideal stop for your celebration sweets.
The sufganiyot, only available during December, is essentially a strawberry jelly-filled donut, and By the Way’s pillow-y soft version is outstanding. This indulgent sweet, which has its origins as an Austro-Hungarian peasant carnival treat and that became a delicacy at the French court of Marie Antoinette, has been adopted in Israel as a Hanukkah dessert because it’s fried in oil.
There’s also classic chocolate cake decked out in Hanukkah blue and white (inspired by the Israeli flag) and a rich chocolate hazelnut torte plus a counter overflowing with baskets of crunchy-outside, moist-inside almond cookies and towering stacks of chocolate chip cookies (a top-seller).
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In addition to its strong kosher certification, By the Way is a dairy-free and gluten-free bakery, the latter meaning they use a blend of rice flours and starches instead of wheat, rye, barley, or spelt.
Happy Hanukkah!
By the Way Bakery
574 Warburton Ave, Hastings-on-Hudson
914.478.0555
Upper West Side
2442 Broadway, New York
212.877.0806
Upper East Side
1236 Lexington Ave, New York
212.988.3300
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