Yes, we need to plan what to eat even when we fast.
For many, Jewish holidays are about food. Even the fast of Yom Kippur ends up being all about the food. But when thinking of what to eat before and after the fast it’s important to keep in mind which menu will benefit and prepare your body for the fast, without unnecessary headaches, dizziness and starvation.
There’s a lot of good advice online, and it is all based on the idea that the pre-fast meal should include whole grains that will keep you feeling full for the longest time and a light protein in moderate quantity that will digest easily. The pre-fast meal may be the only meal a year when filling up with veggies may not be a good idea since they will not supply you with the excess energy you need for a day of fasting. And don’t eat anything too salty or spicy, since that will make you thirsty.
As always, our grandmothers knew best and many of the traditional dishes consumed before Yom Kippur in the Jewish diaspora keep these basic rules. Ashkenazi chicken soup with kreplach is one good example. So good, actually, that the Libyan Jews used to serve a similar chicken soup with egg noodles for the same meal. Yemenites have bone marrow soup, which is also similar.
For the main course, Bukharian Jews eat oshpelo, a dish of rice, meat and spices all cooked together and the Moroccan Jews make a tagine of the chicken used for the ceremony of the kaparot.
As for the break-the-fast meal, it’s a good idea to start slow with a cup of sweetened drink, such as tea and a slice of cake, which again is exactly what was always done in most Jewish communities. The Israeli Ministry of Health suggests breaking the fast with a date, much like the breaking the fast of the Ramadan, as instructed by Prophet Muhammad. It seems like our ancestors knew that all along, as Iraqi Jews make baba b’tamer and the Lybians make magrood, both date-filled cookies.
The Jewish heritage is filled with simple pastries from around the globe, including the Sephardi boyikos (little cheesy rolls), Tunisian bollo and Moroccan rifa, dry fennel seed cookies. Then there’s also the Ashkenazi lekach cake (originally a honey-cake, which in Israel became synonymous with angel cake), and babka.
As for drinks, most people would traditionally rely on sweetened tea to break the fast, some will add mint, tree wormwood or other herbs. Iraqi Jews make an almond drink called hariri, while Sephardim from Rhodes, Turkey and Greece prepare a similar drink from dried ground melon seeds, called pepitada. In both versions, the seeds or almonds are ground and soaked in water, usually in a cheesecloth, then squeezed to extract the flavor. Sugar is sometimes added, although it is not necessary and the drinks may be flavored with a little rose water.
A light meal should follow the tea and cake. Moroccan Jews, for example, serve Harirra, a lamb, rice, chickpeas and tomato soup, some for pre-fast and some for break the fast. Harirra is popular among Muslims in Morocco for breaking the fast of the Ramadan. It’s ideal for breaking the fast since it can be made in advance and quickly reheated before the meal.
Se’uda mafseket (pre-fast menu)
Break the fast menu
Tea with honey and fresh mint