Yid.dish: Ha + mohn + tashen (poppyseed filling)
Why Poppyseed Hamentaschen Are The Only True Hamentaschen – I share this short formula from my father:
Mohn (poppy seed) + Taschen (pockets) = Mohntaschen (poppy seed pocket pastries)
- Ha (Hebrew definite article) = Hamohntaschen (Haman’s Pockets) or Purim poppy seed pocket pastries
Now, I LOVE poppy seed filling Hamentashen. And seeds are a traditional food for Purim because Esther is supposed to have eaten nuts and seeds during her fast. But I don’t love all of those ingredients you find when you use a can of poppy seed filing, nor do many of my friends. So, what’s a girl to do? Clearly the answer is, make my own! So I did.
The general idea is to
1) soak the poppy seeds overnight – I used about 5 tablespoons
2) blend them with a couple teaspoons of honey (I used some I brought back with me from Israel last Purim). I used my immersion blender for this step.
Then use them as you would any other Hamentashen filling! Pretty simple, no? Enjoy, and think of Esther.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.