Try this Turkish charoset recipe (or Turkish haroset recipe), just one of many Turkish charoset recipe versions found in Jewish communities throughout Turkey and in Turkish-Jewish families who have migrated from their towns or cities in Turkey to other parts of the world.

Turkish charoset can be spelled many ways. You can spell it as Turkish charoses, Turkish haroset, Turkish charoseth, Turkish haroseth, or Turkish haroses. The reason is that transliterations from Hebrew into English result in many ways to spell charoset. A Turkish charoset recipe can vary depending on where a Turkish-Jewish family resides in Turkey: there are regional, city, family, and even cultural grouping variations in Turkish charoset recipes. By cultural groupings, I am referring to different groups of Turkish-Jews. For instance, Turkish-Jews who are of Romaniote-Jewish descent, that is, Jews who have lived in Turkey since the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 C.E. by the Romans [the modern Hebrew/Jewish calendar date; 68 C.E. according to the Seder Olam Rabbah, a 2nd-century C.E. work by Rabbi Jose Ben Halafta, a student of Rabbi Akiva. The Seder Olam Rabbah ("Great Order of the World" in Hebrew) is the oldest record of Hebrew/Jewish chronology in Judaism and the chronology followed by Orthodox rabbis], hence the name Romaniote, will have their version of a Turkish charoset recipe, and Sephardic-Turkish Jews, who are descendants of Jews who came to Turkey (then known as the Ottoman Empire) after being expelled from Spain and Portugal in 1492 and 1497 respectively will have their version of a Turkish charoset recipe. Turkish charoset recipes are further varied by the individual charoset recipes from different Turkish-Jewish families that have been passed down through the generations. The following Turkish charoset recipe is a general version.

Charoset is a symbolic food of the Passover / Pesach festival, symbolizing - and deliberately looking like - the mortar with which the enslaved Hebrews used to make bricks in building store-houses and supply centers for the Pharaoh (King) of ancient Egypt. Although charoset is usually eaten only during the Passover / Pesach festival, it can be used throughout the year as a spread or as an addition to other foods, such as a filling.

Turkish Charoset Recipe (Makes about 3 cups)

1/2 cup pitted dates
2 cups peeled and sliced apples
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped

Instructions for the Turkish Charoset recipe:

  1. Cook fruits together with water just to cover until apricots and dates are tender enough to mash with a fork and mix until blended.
  2. Add nuts.

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