Purim, the Jewish Holiday based on the Book of Esther, starts at sundown tonight.The Purim celebration recounts the story of Queen Esther and how she saved the Jewish people from annihilation. The participants are;

• Ahasuerus (Xerxes): King of Persia (modern-day Iran). When his queen, Vashti, refuses to entertain guests at the king’s feast, he banishes her.
• Vashti: Former queen of Persia (modern-day Iran). The King dumps her after she refuses to come to a party he is hosting.      
• Esther: A beautiful young Jewish orphan and hero of the Purim story.
• Mordechai: Esther’s cousin (I always thought he was Esther’s uncle) who raised her after her parents died.
• Haman: The king’s vizier (chief adviser). The villain.

The story begins when King Ahasuerus commands his wife, Queen Vashti, to appear before him and his party guests. She refuses and, as a result, King Ahasuerus decides to find another queen. His search begins with a royal beauty pageant, in which the most beautiful young women in the kingdom are brought before the king, and Esther, a young Jewish girl, is selected to be the new queen.

Esther lives with her cousin Mordechai and at his behest, conceals her Jewish identity from the king. Not long after Esther becomes queen, Mordechai offends the grand vizier, Haman, by refusing to bow down to him. Haman decides to punish not only Mordechai but all Jews for this slight. He informs King Ahasuerus that if the Jews do not obey the king's laws, it would be in the kingdom's best interest to get rid of them. He asks for permission to destroy them, which the king grants. Haman then orders the king's officials to kill all the Jews — "young and old, women and children.”

When Esther learns of the plot, she asks the King to host a royal banquet and to invite Haman. At the banquet, King Ahasuerus asks Esther, “What does she desire?  She answers: “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life — this is my petition. And spare my people —"

The king is outraged that anyone would dare threaten his queen and when he asks who has done such a thing, Esther declares that Haman is to blame. King Ahasuerus commands that Haman be killed.

According to the Book of Esther, this happened on the 13th of Adar "and on the 14th [day] [the Jews] rested and made it a day of feasting and joy" (Esther 9:18). Mordecai declares that the victory is remembered every year, and the celebration is called Purim because Haman cast the pur (meaning "lot") against the Jews, yet failed to destroy them. While Purim does have rather dark underpinnings, it really is a fun celebration of survival, full of wine, noisemakers and hamantaschen - the triangle cookie-like pastry with filling. Jews today celebrate Purim in temple reading the Megillah (Book of Esther). Whenever Haman’s name is mentioned, congregants shake a noise maker and loudly boo.

It’s a long-held belief that the three corners of the triangle-shaped hamantaschen represent Haman’s favorite three-cornered hat. Supposedly, taking a bite out of the cookie is in defiance of bowing down to Haman and preventing him from carrying out his evil plan. Further research, though, reveals that the hamantaschen wasn’t about Haman’s hat at all.

While original Purim celebrations have always included food, feasting and wine, it was another type of cookie - the “ozen Haman” - that was popular. While today it's sometimes thought to be interchangeable with hamantaschen, it's a completely different pastry. According to haaretz.com, the first written reference to these rounded deep fried cookies dipped in honey come from a 16th century comedy play entitled, "A Comedy of Betrothal.” Others have translated “ozen Haman” to mean “Haman’s ears,” a reference to King Ahasuerus cutting off Haman’s ears prior to having him hung.

The hamantaschen did not emerge in Jewish culture until much later, perhaps as recently as the beginning of the 19th century. Starting in the late 18th century, a popular treat throughout Europe was the “Mohntaschen,” which is loosely translated from a Yiddish-German dialect to mean “poppy pocket.” A folded, triangle, doughy cookie filled with poppy seed paste, the pastry was eaten by all sects of the population. Considering the Jewish people’s preponderance to eat pastries on Purim and the word “mohn” sort of sounding like Haman, many scholars believe this is how the word "hamantaschen" came to be.

Today, hamantaschen can be found filled with fruit, nuts, chocolate as well as the more traditional “mohn,” or poppy seed paste. This Purim, try a hamantaschen.   Patrick at Incredibly Delicious (located at 925 S. Seventh) will be preparing them this year March 16 and 17. They will be available in three flavors: poppy seed, prune or apricot. Order by calling Incredibly Delicious at 217-528-8548. Tell them you saw it in the SJ-R.   

According to one commentary, the basic message of Esther’s story is, “No matter how hopeless your situation may seem, never lose hope.”

Today’s Hamantaschen recipe is from Food Network baking star Duff Goldman.

Hamantaschen

Total: 1 hr 
Prep: 30 min 
Cook: 30 min 
Yield: about 3 dozen

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
• 1 cup sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Juice of 1/2 orange
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• Raspberry or apricot preserves, or Poppy Seed
• Filling, recipe follows, for filling
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Poppy seed filling

• 1/2 cup raisins
• 3/4 cup fresh poppy seeds
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 to 5 tablespoons sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest plus 1/2 teaspoon of the juice
• 1 slightly beaten egg

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the oil, eggs, egg yolk, sugar, zest, both juices and brandy until smooth. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until a sticky dough is formed. Wrap in plastic wrap, flatten into a disk and chill overnight.
2. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
3. Working with about one quarter of the dough at a time and leaving the remaining in the refrigerator, roll on lightly floured surface a little less than 1/4-inch thick. Cut circles (or other fun shapes) using cookie cutters 2 1/2 to 3 inches.
4. Place a spoonful of filling in center (about 1 teaspoon per cookie) and then pinch one side up. Turn and pinch second and then third to make a triangular shape. Leave a little bit of the filling showing at the top. For non-traditional shapes, use your imagination: tubular, squares, bite-size or even some flat cookies depressed in the center with a bit of filling there.
5. Place cookies on parchment paper on cookie sheet, brush with a little beaten egg for sheen and bake until nicely browned, 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Keep room temp in airtight container but consume within 3 to 4 days, tops.

Poppy seed filling directions

1. Yield: Makes enough to fill 2 ½ dozen hamantaschen. (Other types of fillings such as apricot or prune may be used).
2. Combine everything except the lemon zest and juice and the beaten egg into a saucepan and cook over moderate heat until thick, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir often. Add zest and juice. Take a bit of the filling and mix it into the beaten egg. Repeat, then mix the egg mixture into the pot of the filling.  Cool overnight.

Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, Baking/Pastry, and Value-Added Local Food, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.

Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.