Fritas de prasa, also keftes de prasa and albondigas de prasa (Hebrew: קציצות כרישה, romanizedktzizot krisha, lit.'leek patties') are fried potato-leek pancakes common in Sephardic Jewish cuisine.

Fritas de prasa
Fritas de prasa
Alternative namesKeftes de prasa, koftas de prasa, leek patties, potato-leek patties, Sephardi latkes
Typefritters, patties
CourseAppetizer
Region or statePossibly Spain; today popular in Israel and the Sephardic Jewish diaspora
Associated cuisineSephardi Jewish cuisine, Israeli cuisine
Created bySephardic Jews
Serving temperatureHot, traditionally served for Hanukkah, Passover, and Rosh Hashanah, although it can be served all year
Main ingredientsLeeks, potatoes, egg, matzo meal, kosher salt, cooking oil

Fritas de prasa have been served by Sephardic Jews on Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah, Passover since the time of the Spanish Inquisition and forced expulsion of Jews from Spain.[1]

Etymology

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Tan and Hosking note that "the name reflects the journey of Sephardic cuisine".[2] The term "prasa," meaning leek, originates from Greek and has influenced the Turkish word "pirasa." The word "kofte," referring to minced meat, is of Persian origin and is commonly used in Turkish cuisine to denote meatballs. The Spanish word "albondigas," used for meatballs, has its roots in the Arabic term "al-bunduq," which means hazelnut and, by extension, small round objects. It is likely that Jews in Spain adopted this term.[2]

Description

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Fritas de prasa are similar to a latke.[3]

According to Tan and Hosking, this dish "would be listed among the top five typically Jewish dishes among Turkish Jews."[4]

 
Prasa fritters being fried

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Marks, Gil. Olive Trees and Honey. HMH.
  2. ^ a b Tan, A. Ö., & Hosking, R. (2010). Empanadas With Turkish Delight Or Borekitas de Lokum? The Sweet-Sour Journey of Sephardic Cuisine and Ladino Language. In Food and Language. Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cooking 2009 (pp. 341).
  3. ^ "Zahav a World of Israeli Cooking". Hadassah Magazine. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  4. ^ Tan, A. Ö., & Hosking, R. (2010). Empanadas With Turkish Delight Or Borekitas de Lokum? The Sweet-Sour Journey of Sephardic Cuisine and Ladino Language. In Food and Language. Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cooking 2009 (pp. 341).