Yom Kippur: Before and After the Fast

About author / Lauren Braun Costello

The competent cook; food stylist; cooking instructor; graduate French Culinary Institute. To die for dish? Maple glazed bacon wrapped roast turkey. Yep, bacon wrapped.

Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement, is considered to be the single holiest day of the Jewish year, aside from the weekly Sabbath observance. As an act of repentance, Jews fast from sundown on the eve of Yom Kippur, known as Kol Nidre, to sundown the next day. This symbolic act is to atone for sins and to reflect on the actions of the past year. The final meal prior to the fast is eaten early in the evening before the sun sets, whereas the break-the-fast meal is consumed once the sun has set, making the entire fasting period about 26 hours long.

It may seem odd that a holiday where one explicitly does not eat has any food ritual at all, let alone a great deal of tradition. As is the case during Rosh Hashanah, there is much tradition and ritual associated with Yom Kippur. There are special foods to be consumed before the fast, both to represent the sacred festival's theme and to assist in the long hours of fasting. Breaking the fast has just as many traditions.

Before the Fast
The temptation to stuff oneself with as much food as possible before a fast may seem appealing, but in truth it is unwise. The more you eat, the more you want to fill your belly the next time around. So it is recommended to eat a normal size meal. Moreover, since fasting includes not drinking, it is common to drink a lot of water before the fast and to avoid spicy or particularly salty foods that will make you thirsty or dehydrated. Complex carbohydrates and proteins are ideal and thus typical foods on Kol Nidre.

In my family, we always eat chicken soup with kreplach, meat-stuffed dumplings. The soup is flavorful but mild, and the kreplach are filling without being heavy. I must admit that when I asked my grandfather why we eat kreplach at Yom Kippur, he simply said "because we do. That's what my mother always served. It's tradition." I examined this tradition more closely and discovered, not at all to my surprise, it is explained by varying interpretations. Some say that the dough covering the meat represents our hope that God will hide our sins as we repent. Another explanation is that the meat symbolizes judgment, but the soft dough represents God's unfailing mercy and justice.

Keeping with the guidelines above, we usually eat the soup chicken itself and all the soup vegetables as a main course. Not only is this a meal replete with protein and lacking much salt or spice, but it is incredibly practical. To prepare a delicious and flavorful chicken soup, it is best to use chicken meat, bones and aromatic vegetables like onions, carrots and celery. We make good use of this food before the fast. Usually we serve noodle kugel or some other starch to act as a long-lasting complex carbohydrate to make for an easier fast. Dessert is simple and light:fresh fruit and maybe some rugelach.

After the Fast
Breaking the fast is a thrilling event. By the time the afternoon rolls around, thoughts of food sometimes outweigh those of repentance. It is custom in our family, and in so many other American Jewish families from Eastern European descent, to eat "appetizing." This milchig or dairy meal consists of bagels, cream cheese, smoked fish and all the appropriate accompaniments.

There are several reasons for this break-the-fast tradition. First, such a meal requires no preparation or cooking, so it can be purchased before the holiday begins and enjoyed the moment the holiday ends (work of all kinds is prohibited during Yom Kippur and all other sacred festivals). Second, smoked salmon, whitefish, herring, and other such specialties are considered much lighter than a meat meal, which might be rough on the digestive tract after having fasted. Of course, this is also one of the most popular meals in Jewish food culture. So, desiring such delicacies after having been denied food for an entire day is no surprise.

Many cultures around the globe break the fast differently than we do here in the U.S. I once celebrated Yom Kippur in Strasbourg, France with local friends. I had traveled there from Geneva where I was living during college. All I could think about the entire day in synagogue was how I was going to enjoy a big plate of "appetizing" in France. How I missed such food during my semester in Europe!

As grateful as I was to be included in an intimate family gathering on such a holy day, I must admit that I was more than disappointed when I was served a homemade sweet roll and fruit salad. I asked, "where is the rest of the meal?" My friends were surprised that I was expecting more food. "Don't you eat like this in New York? You should not eat more. It is not good to overeat after a fast," they told me.

Well, they were right. But I do not foresee fruit salad and bread at my family table this year or any other. In fact, the fish and bagels have been ordered already. Once the sun sets, another sweet year will begin as it should . . . with a bounty of loving family and delectable food!