The Jewish holiday of Purim, which starts Wednesday at sundown, commemorates the rescuing of ancient Persia’s Jews around 400 B.C. from the evil Haman, who was king Ahasuerus’s prime minister and wanted them extinguished. Jews celebrate the deliverance to this day by wearing costumes, sending food to the poor and having a feast.
Because revenge is a dish best served sweet, Jews from around the diaspora make pastries that resemble or symbolize Haman’s features and clothes — as if, by eating them, they could get rid of this villain once again.
The popular Ashkenazi hamantaschen, a triangular pastry with a sweet filling, was adapted from a German pastry of the same shape and was meant to resemble either Haman’s pocket (“tasche”) or his hat. Some think the tricorn hat that was popular in parts of Europe in the 18th century might have been an inspiration. But Haman would not have worn a hat of that shape, since tricorns were not worn in the ancient Persian empire.
Such misperceptions we can live with; a popular Swedish pastry named Napoleonhattar (“Napoleon’s hat”) shares the triangular shape of the hamantaschen. But Napoleon famously wore a bicorn hat.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Washington Post
