value placed on pomegranates and their consumption is derived from their mention in the Bible when its discovery by one of Moses's spies concluded that there was fertility in the land of the unknown. Challah bread is baked into a round, circular shape that is meant to represent the cyclical nature of life and the crown. It is also sweetened with either honey or a combination of cinnamon and sugar instead of being dipped into the usual kosher salt. Tzimmes, a side dish composed traditionally of sweetened carrots or yams, are served to symbolize prosperity, because of the double meaning of Yiddish word meren, which represents "to multiply" and "carrot". Additional symbolic foods include: Teiglach, knotted pastries boiled in a honeyed syrup (for Ashkenazi Jews). Head of a fish or a ram, for a successful year in which we are the "head", not the "tail" (because Rosh Hashanah begins the year, it is referred to as the head). Fried leek cutlets, called karteh (for Sephardic Jews). Fried chard cutlets, called salkeh (for Sephardic Jews). Local type of zucchini called qara'a, made into sweet confiture (for Sephardic Jews). Algerian Jews serve a honey-dipped date pastry called makroudh. Yom Kippur Yom Kippur is a fast day. The pre-fast meal, called seuda hamafseket, usually consists of foods that are digested slowly and are not highly spiced, to make fasting easier and prevent thirst. Sukkot On Sukkot meals are eaten outside in the sukkah, a thatched hut built specially for the holiday. Often fresh fruits are eaten also, which are woven into the roof of the thatched hut. Hanukkah It is customary to eat foods fried in oil to celebrate Hanukkah. Eating dairy products was a custom in medieval times. Latkes—potato pancakes, may be topped with sour cream or applesauce (Ashkenazi food) Sufganiyot—jam doughnuts (Ashkenazi, popular in Israel) Fried doughnuts with grounded sugar sprinkled on top, called sfinge (mainly by North African Jews) or zalabiyeh. Rugelach—filled pastry. Purim Hamantaschen—triangular pastries traditionally filled with poppy seeds or prunes Couscous—a Berber dish of small steamed balls of crushed durum wheat semolina traditionally served with a stew spooned on top Fazuelos—Sephardic pastries of thin fried dough Ma'amoul—shortbread pastries filled with dates or nuts Passover Passover celebrates The Exodus from Egypt where it is said the Jewish people left so quickly, there was no time for their bread to rise. Commemorating this event, Jews eat matza and abstain