Traditional Dishes to Celebrate the Jewish Festival of Purim

Purim commemorates Esther, a Jewess plucked from the royal harem and married to the King of Persia in the 5th century BC, who outwitted a plot by the evil Persian Prime Minister Haman, who had decreed death for all Jews in the kingdom. Esther is said to have arranged a dazzling two day feast for the king before disclosing her Jewish heritage and telling him of the plot against her people. By daybreak, the PM had been hanged and the freedom of the Jews assured.