8 Latke Recipes That Are Not Made From Potatoes

Since I learned from Gil Marks a”h in his 5 Things You Never Knew About Latkes article that “Judah Maccabee never saw a latke or a potato…” I decided to take some creative liberties and worldwide inspiration with my latkes this year. Because really, the miracle of Chanukah is all about the oil. Which you can learn about in detail from this catchy Maccabeats tune here:

Also spelled out a touch more succinctly minus the rhyming here:

“One of the main miracles that happened for the Jewish people [on Chanukah] was that when the Jews recaptured the holy temple after the Greeks had defiled it, a vessel of oil was found in perfect condition with the seal of the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) still intact. Rather than lasting for one day, this oil miraculously lasted for eight days, which gave the Jewish people enough time to press more olives and have the oil delivered to the temple in Jerusalem.” – Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff (my Rabbi!)

MORE: Why Do We Use So Much Oil on Chanukah?

Watch me make three no potato latkes in the video above and get five more latke ideas right here so you can choose your fave combo. I totally promise fried deliciousness but can’t promise you won’t smell like you just got off a shift at McDonald’s—but alas, that’s par for the Chanukah course.

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