Business & Tech

Sweet Potato Latkes Add Thanksgiving Twist to Hanukkah

Rabbi Jason Miller of West Bloomfield-based Kosher Michigan helps develop a new recipe for the unusual combined holiday.

If you're planning to celebrate "Thanksgivukkah", Rabbi Jason Miller of West Bloomfield-based Kosher Michigan has a suggestion for your holiday table. 

This year, the first day of Hanukkah falls on Thanksgiving Day, so in an effort to create a special food item dedicated to the holiday, Miller contacted Patrick Coleman, who owns Beans and Cornbread and Southern Nosh, both in Southfield. The two know each other because Kosher Michigan certification agency certifies Coleman’s Southern Nosh Vegetarian Soul as a kosher restaurant.

Together, Miller and Coleman came up with the idea of a Thanksgivukkah Sweet Potato Latke. The dish is gluten free and served with a garnish and either house-made applesauce or a vegan sour cream with herb garlic and pepper seasoning.

“Hot sauce is optional,” said Coleman. 

“The potato pancake, or latke as we call it, is a traditional Hanukkah delicacy,” Miller said. “On Hanukkah, we eat foods that are cooked in oil to remind us of the miracle of oil that allowed the menorah to burn for eight days instead of just one in the Temple that stood in Jerusalem.” 

Coleman added that sweet potatoes are not only a traditional Thanksgiving food, but are also popular in African American kitchens.  

“So not only have we merged two holidays – Thanksgiving and Hanukkah – but the rabbi and I also have brought two cultures together with a staple Jewish dish for Hanukkah and a staple soul food dish," he said. 

The Thanksgivukkah Sweet Potato Latke will be available at Southern Nosh throughout the month of November, and the recipe is available by contacting Patrick Coleman at mobeansinc@aol.com. 

Correction: The spelling of the word Thanksgivukkah has been corrected. 


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