Purim In Queens Just Keeps Getting Sweeter

I took my children out for a walk on Main Street in search of the perfect Hamentashen. A Hamentashen is a 3-pointed cookie with one of the following fillings; poppy seed, prunes, apricot, strawberry, chocolate, or hazelnut. We had a lot of fun, as all of the bakeries and stores are Purim ready. Shelves are lined up with candy, gift baskets, and Hamentashen.

Purim is a Jewish holiday rich in meaning and plentiful in food. Hamentashen represents the three-cornered hat that Haman, the villain of the Purim story, wore on his head. If you’re not sure what Purim is and why we will be “noshing” so much, keep reading and you’ll find out. If you already know all about Purim, skip on down a couple of paragraphs to find out what bakery has, in our opinion, the perfect Hamentashen.

What is the reason for celebrating Purim? Purim is the celebration of the Jewish people and how they overcame Haman’s (the villain) request of King Ahasverus to annihilate all of the Jews in the Persian Empire. This happened in 357 BCE, but it is something that has been recognized as one of the most important Jewish events ever since.

Another way that we celebrate Purim is the giving of Mishloach Manot, or, gift baskets. Mishaloach Manot must contain two types of ready to eat foods. For example, a Hamentashen and a mini bottle of Kedem grape juice is perfect for kids. However, there are some very beautiful gift baskets online at kosher.com, and ohnuts.com. They range in price, from $18 to $50. On our search for the perfect Hamentashen, we saw some on display at Main Sweet at 72-54 Main Street Kew Garden Hills, NY, 11367, 718-261-3917, and also at Kandi Kastle, 71-40 Main Street, Kew Gardens Hills, NY. 718-520-7520. Some people chose to make donations in lieu of Mishloach Manot because there are too many people that are not able to give. This year, we have decided to make donations and make just a few Shaloch Manot gifts with homemade Hamentashen. Speaking of Hamentashen, why don’t I get to the point and tell you where you can find the perfect Hamentashen on Main Street.

We couldn’t decide which bakery was better, so we have two bakeries for you to try. Mendy’s Royal Kosher Bakery, 72-22 Main Street, Kew Gardens Hills, New York, phone 718-544-8736. They had green Hamentashen filled with apple and chocolate-filled, chocolate Hamentashen. We took some home, but we ate them up before the morning. The prices at Mendy’s are more than we would like to spend (12.99 per lb.), but the Hamentashen were delicious. The other bakery that fantastic Hamentashen was Main Street Bagels, located at 72-26 Main Street, Kew Gardens Hills, New York, (718) 793-8100. We found the most delicious Hazelnut filled Hamentashen and I even went back and bought some more. They were also very thick and looked “perfect”. I bought four Hamentashen for 2.00.

You can also try out your very own Hamentashen with this recipe from Spice and Spirit is very easy and delicious.

Traditional Hamentashen

Ingredients

4 Eggs

1 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Oil

Juice of 1 Lemon

Rind of 1 Lemon, Grated

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

5 Cups Flour

2 tsp. Baking Soda

pre-heat oven to 350

Directions

Beat Eggs and Sugar First

Add Other Ingredients

Place on greased cookie sheet and flatten dough. Use a round cookie cutter, and then fold the round shaped dough like a triangle. Add your filling, put in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. For a shinier cookie, brush on raw egg before placing the cookie sheet in the oven. Enjoy!

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