hamantaschen

Etymology

Borrowed from Yiddish המן־טאַשן (homen-tashn).

Why this word is great

HAMANTASCHEN — [Noun] Triangular Ashkenazi pastries filled with poppy seeds, fruit preserves, or chocolate, traditionally eaten during Purim to commemorate the foiling of the villain Haman’s plot. Borrowed from Yiddish המן־טאַשן (homen-tashn), from Haman (the villain of the Purim story) + טאַש (tash, "pocket"), thus originally meaning "Haman's pockets". Unlike rugelach (rolled crescents of dough, unmoored from any holiday) or kreplach (savory dumplings swimming in broth), hamantaschen are edible allegory, geometry with meaning. They are the crisp resistance of dough giving way to the sticky sweetness of plum jam, the faint bitterness of poppy seeds like the shadow of ancient grudges, the way a child’s fingers press the corners tight—as if to seal away evil once more, year after year.

noun

  1. Traditional Ashkenazi three-cornered cookies eaten during the Jewish holiday of Purim. The filling may be made from variously from poppy seeds, prunes, nuts, dates, apricots, fruit preserves, chocolate, caramel, or cheese.“A workshop for children and adults on making hamantaschen, the triangular pastries that are traditional for Purim, the Jewish feast being celebrated Saturday and Sunday, will be held tomorrow[…].”