When I think of Tu b’Shevat, I think of the 7 species of
Israel. These are the 7 fruits and
grains that the Torah tells us are grown in Israel: wheat, barley, grapes,
figs, pomegranates, olives and dates.
Many people are familiar with the Tu b’Shevat Seder which, modeled after
Passover Seder, involves drinking four glasses of wine, but with varying
percentages of red and white wine. The
different colors of wine represent the different yearly seasons. The Seder also involves trying different
types of fruits and nuts such as fruits that have an inedible outside and an
edible inside (such as pomegranates or pineapple), an edible outside and an
inedible inside (such as olives, dates, or apricots), and fruits that have an
edible outside and inside (such as grapes, figs or kiwis).
There are lots of recipes that you can make that would
involve a few of the above mentioned species.
However, to find a recipe that includes all 7 is very impressive! Here is a recipe for 7 species Challah. Some of the ingredients are unique for
Challah – but I promise it is really worth trying!!
Seven Species Challah
Ingredients:
2 packages dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup honey
1 Tablesppon salt
3/4 cup olive oil
4 eggs
1 cup dried fruit (1/2 cup chopped dates, 1/4 cup raisins, 1/4 cup chopped figs)
1 cup barley flour
7-8 cups bread flour
Directions:
Dissolve
yeast in warm water and pomegranate juice in a large bowl. Add honey and let stand 2 minutes until yeast
foams.
Add
salt, oil, eggs and mix well.
Gradually
add flour, 2 cups at a time mixing after each addition. About ½ way through, add dried fruit to
mixture. As mixture gets stiff, use
floured hands and begin kneading. Knead
for seven minutes turning dough over often.
Let
rise in greased bowl until double in size.
(Approximately one hour.)
Punch
dough down.
Divide
challah into thirds. Shape each 3rd as desired (braided for traditional, can also do a round or pull apart challah). Let
rise again until doubled in size.
Preheat
oven to 375 degrees.
Brush
with glaze. (one beaten egg). Bake
30-45 mins. Or until brown. Remove from pans and cool on racks.
