Best Charoset Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is a substitute for Manischewitz in charoset? ›

If you can't get Manischewitz or another sweet Passover wine, ruby port is a fine substitute.

According to The Biblical and Historical Background of Jewish Customs and Ceremonies, the sticky, granular mixture of fruit and nuts is meant to recall the mortar that the Jews used to build the Egyptian pharaohs' buildings (not the pyramids). Cinnamon and other spices represent straw used in brick making.

Manischewitz is the most popular kosher wine; you can use either the Concord grape or blackberry wine for this dish. Or use regular grape juice if you don't want to use alcohol. It's delicious either way! Cinnamon: This warm spice adds lots of flavor to charoset.

Charoset is a medley of apples, walnuts, and raisins that's sweetened with honey, spices, and kosher wine. A significant part of the Passover celebration (it represents the mortar used to stack the bricks to make the pyramids), it's a sweet side dish that completes the Seder plate.

Jewish immigrants made wine from what they could get, like Concord grapes, which were cheap and local. The wine they produced had a long shelf life, and it also had to be sweetened to make it palatable; if you kept kosher and you wanted wine, for a long time Manischewitz was what you got.

Strict Kosher requirements are followed during Passover, and all food and wine consumed must be certified Kosher for Passover, meaning they contain no leavened foods or grains. In the case of Manischewitz Wines, this means Kosher for Passover wines are produced using real cane sugar, instead of corn syrup.

It's the forbidden fruit… unless peeled. The strawberry has been the cause of much rabbinical consternation in recent years. The reason is that many rabbis believe strawberries to be a favorite hangout for insects, and eating an insect is actually more problematic in Jewish law than eating pork.

Israel does not have a universally recognized national dish; in previous years this was considered to be falafel, deep-fried balls of seasoned, ground chickpeas.

Grapes themselves have no special kosher considerations, but wine, grape juice, and other grape products are some of the most highly kosher-sensitive. All grape juice, grape wines or brandies must be prepared under strict Orthodox rabbinic supervision and may not be handled by non-Jews.

My kids love it because it is sweet and tastes like an apple cinnamon raisin salsa. They eat it by the spoonful or use pieces of matzo to coop it up! This recipe swaps maple syrup for brown sugar to make it refined sugar-free, and the addition of dried raisins and cherries (or dates) gives it more texture and flavor.

What is a sweet wine like Manischewitz? ›

Weinstock Moscato

This sweet and fruity Moscato is like the white wine cousin of Manischewitz. With a slightly lower alcohol percentage, it's a good option for someone who doesn't generally drink wine but wants to partake in the tradition.

Also, if you don't happen to have an heirloom bottle of Concord grape wine lying around, you can substitute ruby Port, creme sherry, or grape juice in the walnut recipe.

Charoset – A sweet, brown mixture representing the mortar and brick used by the Hebrew slaves to build the structures of Egypt.

Hence, the custom of eating both apples and honey as food on Rosh Hashanah, not only for their nutritive value but especially because of their value as symbols. Honey, into which we dip apples is an expression of hope that sweetness will mark the lives of Jews in the coming year.

Leftover charoset is commonly eaten with matzah, but it can also be used as a filling for hand pies.

Weinstock Moscato

This sweet and fruity Moscato is like the white wine cousin of Manischewitz. With a slightly lower alcohol percentage, it's a good option for someone who doesn't generally drink wine but wants to partake in the tradition.

Concord Grape is just one of Manischewitz's offerings

While Concord Grape is certainly Manischewitz's most popular and recognizable product, the wine comes in a number of other types, including blackberry, cherry, and elderberry. Its sweet wine styles include Cream White Concord, Cream Red Concord, and Cream Peach.

An extract of cod or haddock (both kosher fish) can be used to make a “substitute egg white.” A derived protein from skim milk, can be used like the fish protein as a powdered egg (see albumin) substitute.