Lekach in Israel 2024

Lekach is an amazingly sweet Jewish traditional honey cake. It is also a highly traditional food that is usually baked for Israel's most important celebrations, such as Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year).

Lekach Tradition and Meaning

The first mention of the Ashkenazi version of honey cake appeared in 1105. The Encyclopedia of Jewish Cuisine describes the cake as challah sprinkled with flour and honey. The official name, lekah, was found in Germany in 1200. So it's no surprise that honey cake 'lekach' in Yiddish comes from the German word 'lecken', which means to lick.

Originally, the lekach symbolizes the 'sweetness' and prosperity of the following year, therefore, it is served for the New Year's Eve. As for the types of it, we can't say that there exists one recipe for it, as in the course of years a few of them have developed. However, usually, the lekach is in a form of loaf, resembling sponge cake. Also, it is told to be date back to a type of bread ancient Egyptians used to bake.