Tisha B’Av Recipes

I’m happy to share our family’s Tisha B’Av recipes. The dishes are eaten before and after the fast day.

Tisha B’Av History

Tisha B’Av is an annual fast day in Judaism, on which a number of disasters in Jewish history occurred, primarily the destruction of both Solomon’s Temple by the Neo-Babylonian Empire (586 BCE) and the Second Temple by the Roman Empire (70 CE) in Jerusalem.

The Sages have said: “Five events occurred to our fathers on the ninth of Av:

“It was decreed that the generation–of-the-wilderness should not enter the Land of Israel, as it is written , “Not a man of these men , of this evil generation, will see the land.”

1. The first sanctuary was destroyed.
2. The second sanctuary was destroyed.
3. Beitar was captured.
4. Jerusalem was plowed through after the Destruction, as it is written: “Zion shall be plowed like a field.”
5. Another calamity was the expulsion of the Jews of Spain.

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Tisha B’Av Recipes

The following Tisha B’Av Recipes have been handed down for centuries within our family. They come from my mom’s Moroccan side of the family and are the traditional menu and Tisha B’Av recipes. It is an honor and thrill to share them with you and future generations.

The Arabic influence is apparent in these Moroccan dishes. The Arabic word “hada” means “tradition.” This word is a deformation of the Semitic word hakda which is a “knot” as in the hakeda or binding of the patriarch Isaac. Through this knotting, a chain is formed enabling a tradition to flow easily from one generation to another. Unlike the popular TV show, we have no ”Weakest Link.”
(see at end of recipes why we eat meat on Shabbat of Tish’a B’Av)

Tish’a B’Av Recipe for the eve:

Lentil soup or hard boiled eggs.

LENTIL SOUP
One cup of dry lentils
A medium size tomato, peeled and diced
1 small onion, peeled and diced
¼ to 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
¼ to 1/3 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
1 to 2 tbsp olive oil
Pre-soak lentils the night before or if not possible 1 hour before cooking time.
In pot, put all ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat immediately, simmer and let cook until lentils are tender.

Tisha B’Av for Breaking the Fast:

See more Holiday recipes here.

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