Twenty-five hours of no eating on a day filled with retrospection and prayer drives up a unique appetite. You’re hungry but after such a long fast it takes a certain kind of meal to bring you back to life after a heavy day. Because of this many people have go-to traditions on what they make for their Yom Kippur break fast.
With a few days until Yom Kippur (which starts at sundown on Friday, October 11, and ends at sundown on Saturday, October 12), we asked you and our office mates what their go-to foods were and here’s what they had to say.
Shredded apple in rose water
Enon, our creative director, shared this break fast tradition with us. “For Persians: shredded apple that’s been soaking in rose water since before the fast,” he explained. “[There’s] still a bit of crunch. But mostly they’re refreshing,” he added.
Kreplach
Traditionally a food eaten before Yom Kippur, there’s no reason to have leftovers the next day. Kreplach is the Swiss Army knife of Ashkenazi dumplings. They’re small, sometimes filled with ground meat, mashed potatoes or some other filling including dairy. Kreplach are usually boiled and served in a soup, but they may also be fried and served on their own (basically they’re like a Jewish ravioli).
Bagels and lox
New Yorkers swear by this– end your fast on a classic bagel with lox. It has carbs, protein, and all the comfort you need.
Veggie soup
This was an office favorite. “My mom is big on veggie soup,” our head of content Noam chimed in. “I’m with Noam’s mom,” Tania our operations manager quickly added. What’s not to like? Hydrating and good for the soul, nothing beats mom’s soup.
Sweet kugel
On top of the many things Beth, our director of people and culture, suggested was a sweet kugel. A sweet noodle kugel is a kind of casserole served at Jewish holidays, made with egg noodles and a creamy custard. Beth’s other suggestions? “Bagels, lox and cream cheese; tuna fish and egg salad… and of course orange juice before anything else!”
Honey cake
This was suggested by many of you on social media and by Adi, a senior writer here. Honey cake is a holiday tradition for many and Adi suggests pairing it with cold sweet mint tea.
Espresso and watermelon
“A shot of espresso and a slice of watermelon bring me back to life,” suggests John, the publisher of Jewish Unpacked. “After that it’s just leftovers, but watermelon is a must.” Breaking your fast on watermelon is very common, in fact in Israel it’s pretty much a tradition for people to break their fast with cold, juicy watermelons.
Eggs
Some people like to keep it very simple and break their fast on a boiled egg, others kick it up a notch and make an entire meal out of buttery scrambled eggs.
Bonus: Scotch
Scotch is our head of video’s break fast tradition. “It’s a personal minhag,” Jeff jokingly added. There is some truth to this though. Science backs up drinking after a long fast. Whiskey, gin and vodka have no carbohydrates, which means they don’t affect blood sugars or spike your insulin. So in other words, you don’t get that crashing feeling after consuming.
