Sufganiya: a filled doughnut, traditionally filled with jelly and enjoyed during Chanukah

Sufganiyot: plural form

Sufganiyot in Israel: a culinary event taking place during the month of Kislev when bakeries and eateries across the country make every variety of filled doughnut conceivable to man, all to be slowly savored, greedily gorged on, and reviewed time and again by journalists and civilians alike, hoping to finally, FINALLY determine once and for all who makes the best sufganiyot in this holy land.

From Roladin:

From English Cake:

From Cafe Ne’eman:

Yes, ’tis the season. But this year, no Christmas undertones or – as it were – overtones in my neck of the woods.

And I have been a total sucker for participating in the mainstream holiday celebration.

Noah and I bought this beautiful new menorah for our Chanukah in Israel…

…and we’ve also been to some great Chanukah parties. In addition to sufganiyot, Chanukah is the holiday to eat all-things-fried (in honor of the miraculous event that the holiday commemorates when one cruse of oil lasted eight days). Party highlights included latkes (fried potato pancakes), delicious food, and a white elephant gift exchange.

One of the parties was also a fried-food fest for the ages. Equipped with a boiling pot of oil, we proceeded to fry every candy, baked good, and vegetable we could get our hands on:

At least some small piece of my yearning for the Minnesota State Fair has been satisfied:

My favorite thing about spending the holiday in Israel has been being able to be feel – and take part in – the holiday excitement as part of an overall cultural and social climate. For example, gelt (lit: money, a chocolate version is often given as small gifts during Chanukah) shows up on your coffee and other treats…

…hotels display chanukiyot for guests to light and see…

…and people gather together in lobbies to share the joy of lighting the candles together:

Tonight’s the eighth and final night of Chanukah, and I am definitely sad to see it go. I’m sure I’ll remember this Chanukah in Israel for a lifetime. 🙂