The Best Charoset Recipes

The Passover seder may be one of the great traditions of the Jewish faith, but it can also be a test of endurance. As the premeal chants and readings stretch on, empty stomachs begin to growl and attention to wane. The light at the end of the tunnel? That heavenly moment when the charoset is passed around. "With unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it," is recited while biting into the strange but delicious Passover "sandwich": matzoh, sinus-clearing horseradish, and charoset—a sweet concoction that, depending on provenance, can be made from apples and walnuts, dates and pistachios, or any number of other ingredients, usually bound together with kosher wine. One of the most beloved of Jewish dishes, it closes the ceremony and begins the feast.

For many Jews, making charoset is one of the earliest Passover memories. Adults, happy to share this tedious yet important task, help youngsters carefully follow the family recipe, chopping and stirring in a pinch of this and a spoonful of that. In Ashkenazi (Eastern European) households, apples are painstakingly cut into fine dice and combined with cinnamon, chopped walnuts, and just the right amount of sweet wine to make a crunchy and juicy—but not runny—mixture. Sephardim (Mediterranean Jews) use dates and other dried fruit, add fragrant spices, and purée the mixture.

The Sephardic versions most closely resemble cement, which charoset symbolizes on the Passover table. As the seder retells the story of Exodus, each food plays a part: Charoset references the mortar with which Jewish slaves worked before they were delivered from bondage. "They embittered the Jews' lives with hard labor in brick and mortar," teaches the Passover Haggadah (prayer book). But, beyond downing several sheets of matzoh topped with the tasty mixture (leftovers make a wonderful breakfast), most of us never inquire further.

If we did, we'd find multiple layers of meaning: Charoset, like most of Jewish tradition, is the subject of scholarship that stretches back millennia. Though it's the only item on the seder plate that's not mentioned in the Bible, the mortar association comes from a section of the Talmud, the book of Jewish law, written between 200 and 500 A.D. Typical of the debatelike style of Jewish writings, several other explanations of charoset's symbolism are also offered: Its sweetness tempers the harshness of the horseradish, hinting at optimism amid the bitterness of bondage. And cinnamon, in its stick form, recalls the straw that Jewish slaves gathered to build palaces for the Pharaoh.

The Talmud also associates charoset with the Song of Songs, the Biblical scroll read in temple during Passover. This poem is filled with images of fertility and the bounty of the land of Israel: "Rise up, my beloved, my fair one, and come away! For lo, the winter is past; the rain is over, the cold is gone...The fig tree is ripening her figs and the vines are in blossom, giving forth their fragrance." And later: "Under the apple tree I aroused you." Many versions of charoset include figs, dates, pomegranates, apples, and other fruit mentioned in this book, connecting the seder with the ancient Holy Land and highlighting Passover's role as a spring festival of rebirth.

Recipes for charoset are as far-flung as the Jewish people. Across the Middle East, dried fruit is the primary ingredient, but some communities cook it, some soak it in water and then purée, and some simply chop all the ingredients finely. Yemenite Jews add pepper and coriander, resulting in a mixture characteristic of their spicy cooking. Persians, fond of sweet-and-sour flavors, use tangy pomegranate or vinegar. Iraqis (and Indian Jews, who originated in Iraq) boil dates down to a sweet syrup called halek and combine it with walnuts.

Italian varieties vary from family to family, including everything from almonds, apples, and pears to chestnuts, oranges, and even hard-boiled eggs. In Greece, pine nuts are favored, and in Morocco, matzoh meal is added and the mixture is rolled into balls and scooped up with romaine lettuce.

The recipes here offer a taste of traditional flavors, along with some new versions. The candied walnut charoset is a twist on the traditional Ashkenazi recipe: The nuts are fried and tossed in sugar before being chopped, giving them a sweet, toasted crunch. The Sephardic version is pan-Mediterranean, combining plump dates with creamy bananas, allspice, ginger, cloves, and other spices. The fig and port wine would be equally at home at a traditional seder or a rustic French meal, and the colorful apricot-pistachio is flavored with fresh mint, lemon juice, and saffron. Finally, inventive orange-ginger charoset uses amaretto liqueur, crystallized ginger, and orange blossom honey. Whether you choose just one or try a tasting of several, be sure to make enough for leftovers—they'd all be delicious for breakfast.

Our Newest Recipes