There are many recipes for
charoset. Many include at least some of the fruits and spices mentioned in the
Song of Songs: apples 2-3, figs 2-13, pomegranates 4-3, grapes 2-15, walnuts 6-11, dates 7-7 with the addition of wine 1-2, saffron 4-14 and cinnamon 4-14. According to Jonathan Brumberg-Kraus "the influence of Persian culinary preferences on Jews living in the medieval Islamic empires probably reinforced this 'Song of Songs' flavor profile. The spices used vary among cultures; Yemenites use cloves and pepper, while American Jews typically use cinnamon. In Italy, Venetian Jews have been known to add
chestnuts and
pine nuts.
Halegh is a variation made by
Persian Jews using dates instead of or in addition to apples. Locally grown blueberries are added to the traditional recipe in
Maine.
Sephardi traditions Sephardi charoset is a paste made of
raisins,
figs and
dates.
Egyptian Jews make it from dates, raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, and sweet wine.
Greek and
Turkish Jews use apples, dates, chopped almonds, and wine.
Italian Jews add chestnuts.
Suriname Jews add coconut.
Yemenite tradition Yihye Bashiri (17th century) described the manner in which the
charoset was made in Yemen: They take figs or raisins or dates, and pound them into the consistency of dough. They then put vinegar thereto, and add spices. Some there are who put ground
sesame seeds into this admixture. On the night of the Passover, a person is required to put therein whole spices that have not been ground; either two or three seeds of
valerian (Arabic:
sunbul), or sprigs of
marjoram [alternatively: wild thyme ] (Arabic: ''
za'tar), or savory (Arabic: hasha''), or things similar to them, so that it will resemble straw in mortar—in remembrance of that thing by which our fathers were enslaved in Egypt, seeing that it is like unto bricks and straw. In
Yemenite Jewish tradition, the
charoset is also called
dukeh (), a name also referred to as such in the
Jerusalem Talmud. ===
Mizrahi traditions=== Not all Jews use the term
charoset. Some of the Jews of the Middle East instead use the term "
halegh". The origin of
halegh is not clear. Rav
Saadia Gaon uses the word and attributes it to a kind of walnut that was a mandatory ingredient in the preparation of the
halegh. Parts of the
Jewish Diaspora in
Iran have a tradition of including 40 different ingredients in the
halegh. The number 40 signifies the 40 years of wandering in the desert.
Ashkenazi traditions Eastern European (or
Ashkenazi)
charoset is made from chopped walnuts and
apples, spiced with
cinnamon and sweet red
wine.
Honey or
sugar may be added as a sweetener and binder. The mixture is not cooked. == Modern variations ==