Hanukkah Cooking Terms

Also known as "soup nuts" this food item is considered to be a cracker or cracker bread that is commonly made in Jewish kitchens to accompany soup or it may be served as a garnish for other foods. Mandlen a Yiddish word for "almond" which is used as a way to describe the appearance of this cracker and hence, the origin of the name. Formed into the shape of a small, round ball and baked until golden tan, the ingredients for Mandlen typically are eggs, a wheat flour such as matzo meal that is desired for Passover celebrations, potato starch, vegetable shortening, salt, and pepper. Others names used for this cracker may include soup mandlen, mandlen cracker bread, or passover crackers.