Can I put lemon juice on the Rosh Hashanah apples?

September 15, 2007 2:50 PM

Rosh Hashanah questions: specific guidelines about apples and honey?

So, I'm going to a Rosh Hashanah celebration later today. I understand the general idea about Rosh Hashanah but have never been to any services or celebrations before.

Since the apple tree in my backyard is full of apples, I volunteered to bring some apples and honey, and now I'm wondering if there's anything else specific I should know. My main questions are:

-- I was planning not to peel the apples, is that okay?
-- Can I put lemon juice on them to stop them from browning? If the apples and honey are supposed to be symbolic of a "sweet" year, will I be symbolically cursing everyone to a "sour" year if I do that?
-- Drizzle the honey or put it in a bowl as a dipping sauce?
-- Was I supposed to buy a special kind of honey? (It's Trader Joe's mesquite honey, and it did say it was kosher.)

Also, do you think there's a dress code? It's a late-20s, early-30s crowd; outdoor party. (Sorry if this is a stupid question, I'm guessing there's no one dress code, but there might be something...)

posted by salvia to Human Relations (16 answers total)

Best answer: (This from my partner, who is an observant Conservative Jew.) There are no rules about peeling apples, lemon juice, drizzling vs. dipping, etc., so all of that is just fine.

As far as the kind of honey, the kind you're bringing may be certified kosher, but there's an even more intense level of rabbinic certification called a hecksher, which TJ's may or may not have. But it probably doesn't matter to anyone but the most Orthodox Jews, who wouldn't be celebrating with the goyim anyway.

From what you say, it sounds like jeans will be fine, although it would be polite not to show too much cleavage or chest hair.

Have fun, and l'shanah tovah!
posted by ottereroticist at 3:05 PM on September 15, 2007

I dated a Jewish man for a while, and this is his favorite recipe for Passover:

ASHKENAZIC APPLE-NUT HAROSET
Source: "The Jewish Holday Kitchen" by Joan Nathan 1988

Yield: 3 cups

6 peeled apples, coarsely chopped
2/3 c chopped almonds
3 tbsp sugar, or to taste
1/2 tsp cinnamon
grated rind of 1 lemon
4 tbsp sweet red wine
Combine all, mixing thoroughly. Add wine as need. Blend to desired texture-
some like it coarse and crunchy, others prefer it ground to a paste. Chill.

Makes 3 cups.

You can substitute pecans for almonds if you prefer. This is really quite tasty
posted by peace_love_hope at 3:05 PM on September 15, 2007 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I would just bring the apples whole, and cut them up once you get there. You don't need to peel them. Same with the honey, bring a bowl for it and pour it into a bowl for people to dip in when you are there.
Don't worry about the lemon juice, it wouldn't matter either way, but why not just save yourself the hassle and do it all there?
I wouldn't wear jeans, even though they are 80% going to be fine. I'd wear cords or khakis or a casual skirt (your gender?). I bet a bunch of people will be wearing jeans, but just in case, I'd wear something else.
posted by rmless at 3:09 PM on September 15, 2007

Best answer: I'd recommend honey-in-bowl, only because any other way (drizzling, etc.) can get pretty annoying to eat. A pretty standard presentation is just slices of apple arranged circularly on a plate around a center bowl of honey (exactly how you might lay out vegetables and dip, pita and hummus, or chips and salsa). Agree that lemon juice is fine, and that circled-U is better than K when it comes to making sure everybody's happy.
posted by Partial Law at 3:10 PM on September 15, 2007

As far as I know, there aren't any rules about the apples and honey. However, I grew up Reform, so it would have been okay if I wanted to tattoo myself while having premarital bacon sex on top of the apples. The Orthodox may have different standards.

-- I was planning not to peel the apples, is that okay?

Sure.

-- Can I put lemon juice on them to stop them from browning?

This one does slightly give me pause, just because sweetness is the point, but I don't think it would be a problem.

-- Drizzle the honey or put it in a bowl as a dipping sauce?

Bowl!

-- Was I supposed to buy a special kind of honey?

I don't think so.
posted by lemuria at 3:11 PM on September 15, 2007 [1 favorite]

Also, while I'm sure peace_love_hope means well, her charoset recipe is for Passover. While there's nothing wrong with bringing such a thing to a Rosh Hashana event, it would probably raise a few eyebrows (or more likely, just some good-natured chuckles).
posted by Partial Law at 3:14 PM on September 15, 2007

any apples, any honey are fine. clotheswise, wear what you'd wear to church or on a casual friday at work.
posted by thinkingwoman at 3:18 PM on September 15, 2007

Best answer: If the house you are visiting is kosher, then don't prepare the apples ahead. They will want them put on "kosher plates" - theoretically, this should not matter with apples and honey which are neither milk nor meat, but kosher-keeping folk can get very strict about these things.

Chances are, if they're welcoming you to bring food they are not kosher. Those who keep kosher usually only accept food from others that they know are also kosher.

There is nothing wrong at all with putting lemon juice on the apples, but I would personally wait to slice them right before serving for the reason that lemuria stated above. There are no restrictions on peeling or not. As stated above, the traditional way to serve apples and honey is to pass the slices with a bowl of honey, and say two prayers thanking God for the fruit of the earth, and for a sweet new year.

Just wear something tasteful.
posted by Flakypastry at 3:23 PM on September 15, 2007

Oh, and it's a mitzvah for you to bring apples from your garden for such an important purpose. How nice of you!
posted by Flakypastry at 3:25 PM on September 15, 2007

Response by poster: To answer some comments, the TJ brand honey has this Pacman-K-oval-Parve symbol on it, so it is apparently not up to the standards of the U.

My gender is F. I'm thinking I'll wear nice black slacks.

Thanks for the tips so far. Others are welcome. My plan at the moment is to bring some sliced up with lemon on them, and then a bunch more as backup or for people to take with them -- the tree is really going crazy, so it's not like I'm facing an apple shortage. Then I can cut those there if there's something else I should've done. Thanks!
posted by salvia at 3:25 PM on September 15, 2007

Response by poster: My plan at the moment is to bring some sliced up with lemon on them

(only because they're already sliced, so I'd rather not let them go to waste) (though I may end up bringing them home and baking them into a pie if they're looking bad by the time I get there)

Thanks again!
posted by salvia at 3:28 PM on September 15, 2007

FYI: 100% pure, no-flavors-added honey is fine even without certification in the Orthodox world.
posted by needs more cowbell at 3:43 PM on September 15, 2007

Best answer: The only rule is life is sweet and so are the apples with honey. May your life be even sweeter than your honey.
posted by caddis at 3:58 PM on September 15, 2007

Bring them whole along with an apple slicer for when you get there. L'shana tovah tikatevu!
posted by brujita at 10:05 PM on September 15, 2007

Yeah, don't bring peace_love_hope's Passover recipe to Rosh Hashanah. Two completely separate holidays. Charoses has a meaning very specific to the Passover holiday. Customarily it is not eaten at other times.
posted by sneakin at 5:03 AM on September 16, 2007

Best answer: Most of these questions are about etiquette specific to this gathering. Each host will have different customs and follow different rules. This also goes for what the dress code is. Just politely ask your questions of the hosts.
posted by sneakin at 5:05 AM on September 16, 2007