Jewish food is a diverse cuisine that has evolved over many centuries, shaped by Jewish dietary laws and Jewish Festival and Shabbat traditions. Like the Yiddish language and klezmer music, it adapted itself to every land where Jews lived. For instance, we eat apples on Rosh Hoshanah to symbolize the sweetness of life's blessings.

Honey, on the other hand, is a different kind of sweetness. You have to deal with bees to get it. You could get stung. It symbolizes the joy one feels after a challenge like sickness or unemployment is resolved. Bagels originated as challah dough often shaped into forms having symbolic meanings. On Rosh Hashanah, dough rings and rolls were eaten in the hope that the new year should be as round and complete as the bread. Also pomegranates were popular on Rosh Hashana because the number of seeds in the fruit is 613 the same number of mitzvot commandments in the Torah.

This lecture contains many interesting facts about food customs and historical factors that allowed the Jewish people to survive five thousand years longer than any other people on Earth.