Prep time: 5 mins
Charoset gives a fascinating glimpse into an individual’s past and could be regarded as a microcosm of the bigger Passover picture. Charoset of some description is consumed by all practicing Jews worldwide on Seder Night, and yet there are thousands of variations, particular to households, families or communities. As with all Seder Night customs, they are highly individual, passed down through generations and each gives us a glimpse into the journey of the individuals gathered around the Seder table.
Here we have created an Ashkenazi Charoset inspired by the practices of Eastern European Ashkenazim from Poland, Russia, Lithuania and Ukraine, who tend to have a chunkier charoset made from chopped apples and walnuts. German and Hungarian Jews may blend their charoset into a smoother texture, and many Ashkenazi Jews grate their apples, meaning that it sits somewhere between the smooth and chunky variations. Of course, with the movement of Jews around the world throughout the 20th and 21st Centuries and an increase in families of mixed backgrounds, with mixed schools and mixed communities, there is the good probability that many families have more than one type of charoset on their table, or a charoset which combines more than one custom.
The charoset recipes you see across the Ta’amim website are inspired by the customs of whole communities and amalgamated from various recipes, and may not exactly represent your own Seder Table. As with all charoset recipes, the weights, measures and ingredients are variable, interchangeable and down to personal taste, so we have kept the recipes unprescriptive. Enjoy experimenting to find your perfect balance!
Ingredients
- Apples, finely chopped
(We used Pink Lady and Granny Smith varieties for sweetness and sourness, to represent the sourness of slavery and the sweetness of redemption) - Walnuts, roughly chopped into small pieces
- Raisins
- Red Wine
(We used Kiddush Wine for its sweet, deeply rich notes)
Method
- Roughly chop the walnuts and finely chop (or grate) the apples and place into a bowl
- Throw in a sprinkling of raisins
- Add a glug of red wine to coat the other ingredients
- Mix to combine, and leave to macerate. Chill until ready to serve on Seder Night
