Doughnuts with a spin

– Consider the doughnut. Good, right? Now consider that doughnut made with gourmet ingredients like creme de cassis, stuffed with fresh fruit or topped with chocolate pearls.

Really good, right? At this time of year in Israel, that and more can be found.

Israeli chefs are giving the traditionally basic Hanukkah doughnut – called “sufganiyot” in Hebrew – a higher purpose as Jews indulge in the sweet, doughy treat for the holiday.

“Not only do we use the best products, but we have a secret,” said Yitzhak Kadosh, chef at his family’s Jerusalem cafe Kadosh, known for its high-quality sufganiyot at Hanukkah time.

There is a story behind the doughnuts and the eight-day celebration of Hanukkah, or Festival of Lights, which began on Sunday night.

The holiday commemorates one of the great victories in Jewish history, when in the second century BC, after defeating the Seleucids ruling the Holy Land, a small group of Jews, led by Judah Maccabee, reconsecrated the desecrated Temple of Jerusalem.

Tradition says that when they sought to relight the temple’s menorah, only one day’s worth of undefiled oil remained. It miraculously burned for eight days, allowing time to prepare more oil.

To mark the holiday, Jews light one candle on a hanukiah candelabra each night. The traditional hanukiah includes nine branches, with one serving to kindle the others.

Here’s where the doughnuts come in.

It is also part of the holiday tradition to eat foods fried in oil, including sufganiyot.

The basic jelly-filled sufganiyot and variations on it can be found all over this time of year.

But some have sought to turn the doughnuts into a product, if not as miraculous as the miracle Hanukkah celebrates, then at least something that’s really worth savouring.

For Kadosh, a regular doughnut just won’t do.

Last year, Kadosh cafe celebrated its 50 years in business by offering 50 different versions of sufganiyot.

Among its most original creations have been doughnuts made with creme de cassis liqueur, salted caramel, pistachio and pastry cream.

Kadosh sells between 2 000 and 3 000 doughnuts per day during the Hanukkah season. – AFP