Calgary deli duo share their secrets for yummy Hanukkah food

Each Hanukkah, a Calgary brother-sister delicatessen duo get cooking. 

They make dozens of latkes and rugelach cookies — well-anticipated treats for their families and friends.

On the fifth day of Hanukkah, Gail and Peter Frailberg, co-owners of Grumans Catering and Delicatessen, joined the Calgary Eyeopener to explain the significance of food to holiday. 

Hanukkah, which runs Dec. 2-10 this year, is a Jewish festival marking the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.

Observed for eight days and nights, families light candles on the menorah to mark the miracle of a one-day supply of oil lasting eight days.

It's also a time of being with family and enjoying delicious food, like fried potato latkes or rugelach cookies, which look like croissants and can be flavoured with apricots and cinnamon.

The Frailberg siblings, while sporting festive sweaters, shared some of their secrets Thursday with Calgary Eyeopener host David Gray.

David Gray: Gail, when I say Hanukkah food, what comes to mind for you?

Gail Frailberg: No. 1 is potato latkes. The most important tradition is frying things in oil because oil is a very symbolic item related to Hanukkah.

So if your family is from Eastern Europe, like our family originally came from, potato latkes are the way we go. The Jewish people that are from Israel, Middle East, Spain, North Africa, the Sephardic Jews, they tend to do fried doughnuts.

But the key is fried.

David: You told me that your deli is named after your mom. So it is this mom's latke recipe?

Gail: Absolutely. Actually, the biggest treat when we were kids when it came to Hanukkah was the latkes because it stinks up the house.

In fact, I did it for my family yesterday and I woke up to the smell of fried potato latkes this morning in my house. So that was like the No. 1 time a year when we do. But it's a such a treat.

David: It's a fantastic smell, isn't it, Peter?

Peter Frailberg: It was beautiful, especially when you wear it on your clothes for the whole day. When you're young, going to school and all the dogs were chasing you home, great.

David: Is there a real secret to keeping them not too oily, to keep them just the right consistency.

Gail: Fry them at a high temperature. Get them nice and crispy.

Peter: But the secret to the latkes and the secret to all our food — this is something that our mom taught us — lots of love, lots of love.

David: What does Hanukkah mean in your lives?

Peter: It's a continuation of family and family getting together. We're going to actually have a Hanukkah party.

Gail's family and my family and all the kids, we're all going to get together on Sunday and I'm going to play games, play the dreidel game and have latkes and just sit around. It's our Christmas.

Gail: And I think the thing that's key is that all traditional holidays, whatever your faith, it's about family, it's about getting together for an awesome meal and continuing those traditions, and food is such a big part of it.

This interview has been edited and paraphrased for clarity and length. You can listen to the complete interview here:

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With files from Lisa Robinson and the Calgary Eyeopener.