SAN FRANCICO (KCBS RADIO) – This year's Hanukkah celebrations will likely be laden with the typical latkes, dripping with oil and slathered in sour cream and applesauce. But many Jewish households in the Bay Area are likely indulging in another, perhaps lesser known treat of the holiday — sufganiyot.
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Gorgeous golden brown donuts fried to perfection and dusted with powdered sugar, sufganiyot are usually filled with strawberry jam or a vanilla custard.
In Tuesday's Bay Current episode, I visit one of the Bay Area's few kosher bakeries to get a little more insight as to what goes into making these treats.
Frena Bakery, located at 132 6th St. South of Market in San Francisco, has been dishing up sufganiyot since they opened in 2016. Co-owner Isaac Yosef not only showed me how the donuts are made, he also gave me some insight as to why they are a part of the Hanukkah celebration.
"One of the miracles of Hanukkah is that once the Jews restored the temple and took it back, they only had one small kind of oil for the menorah," said Yosef. As the story goes, the oil was only supposed to last one day, but lasted for eight.
"And we are eating foods that have oil," he said. "Latkes are fried in oil, sufganiyot are fried with oil."
Customers seeking out the donuts in time for their celebrations this week are lucky. This is the first time Frena has reopened its doors in four months, just in time for Hanukkah. They have not been immune to the effects of the pandemic, but luckily this reopening spells hope for the business going forward, and they will be able to continue serving delicious pastries to the Bay Area's Jewish community.
"Hanukkah is for everybody, and everybody can enjoy sufganiyot," said Yosef. "So come visit and you won't be disappointed."
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