Iraqi Charoset

Instructions

• Pit and halve dates
• Place in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes
• Strain and return dates to the pan and cover with water again, this time ensuring there’s about an inch more of water. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer covered for 2 hours, checking occasionally to ensure there’s still enough water in the pan
• Strain dates and squeeze liquid through a nut bag into a bowl. Squeeze really hard to ensure you have all that precious juice out
• Put the juice back on the stove in a sauce pan and reduce until it becomes a thick syrup. Takes about 25-30 minutes. Let cool
• Pour date syrup in a small bowl and top with chopped pecans. Serve with matzo crackers

Appendix: My friend Avner Avraham served as a Mossad officer for 28 years and is the founder of The Spy Legends Agency He learned about Iraqi Jewish culture and cuisine from his mother. I am honored to let Avner share his mother’s story and wisdom: My mother, Yaffa Avraham, was born in 1944 in the city of Mosu, Iraq. She immigrated to Israel during Operation Ezra and Nehemiah in 1950. She got married at a young age (18) and moved in with my father and his parents. This was common in Iraq and continued in Israel. She learned the secrets of Iraqi cooking from my grandmother and was a housewife her whole life, raising children, cooking, and maintaining the house. She passed away at the age of 75. I am proud to share my mother’s recipe for Iraqi Charoset: This recipe requires only a single ingredient: Medjool dates. The first step is to cut the dates in half and remove the pits. After that, soak the dates overnight in water. Cook the soaked dates for a few hours, then transfer them to a cloth bag to drain. Next transfer the dates to a small saucepan and cook while stirring. The dates are ready when they become sticky. You can test this by putting a drop between two fingers and checking if the fingers stick to each other. Refrigerate the charoset until it is time to serve it. It is customary to dip matza or lettuce into the charoset. Some prepare fried matzo and sprinkle a little Iraqi charoset on top. If you like you can add crushed nuts to the charoset. Bon Appetit