Festive Dishes for Your Purim Feast

Like most Jewish festivals, food is a central part of Purim: One of the holiday’s four mitzvahs is to hold a festive meal, a Seudat Purim. Poppy seeds are a recurring theme in Purim recipes. Perhaps it's due to the legend that Queen Esther ate seeds during her time at the king’s palace. Or perhaps it's simply due to the popularity of the poppy seed hamantaschen, arguably the holiday's most iconic foods. Either way, these five recipes will ensure your Purim meal is festive.

Sweet potato gnocchi with poppy seeds, sage butter, almonds and pecorino

Poppy seeds add a delicate crunch to your sweet potato gnocchi. Recipe via City Mouse Online. Get the recipe here.

Poppy seed tahini cookies

These deliciously nutty cookies are perfect for adding to a mishloach manot - the traditional Purim gift basket exchange. Recipe via City Mouse Online. Get the recipe here.

Poppy seed pear pie

This pear pie gets a Purim upgrade thanks to the poppy seeds in the filling. Recipe via City Mouse Online. Get the recipe here.

Purim babka

Classic poppy seed filling takes many traditional additions, and you can choose your favorite: Think sliced or grated apples, raisins, chocolate, or candied orange peel. Recipe by Vered Guttman. Get the recipe here.

Shirazi salad with poppy seed

Bursting with flavor and crunch, this Shirazi salad is the Persian version of the Arab/Israeli chopped salad. This version includes pomegranate seeds and poppy seeds in the spirit of the holiday and Queen Esther. Recipe by Vered Guttman. Get the recipe here.