It’s Purim time, and sites like @jewlearn and @tabletmag are presenting their takes on #hamantaschen #hamantashen.
A few years back, I set out on a quest: to find out why a very delicious type of hamantashen — soft or yeast dough — existed in Boston, but was rare elsewhere. This was the kind of Purim pastry I had eaten in my beloved Weinberg’s in Hull.
Setting out with @jdcreativity, we visited Newman’s Bakery in Swampscott, #clearflourbread in Brookline and #CherylAnn’s Bakery in South Brookline.
I also went to @Michaels_Deli in Coolidge Corner and #Blacker’s in Newton.
Richard Blacker of Blacker’s told me
hamentashen made from yeast (a dough not unlike challah dough) were the original and emanate from the northern parts of the region from which Ashkenazi Jews come. His bakery makes both kinds.
hamentashen made from yeast (a dough not unlike challah dough) were the original and emanate from the northern parts of the region from which Ashkenazi Jews come. His bakery makes both kinds.
Blacker explained: “The cookie dough hamentashen is an American invention that religious schools came up with to enable have the kids have a little hamentashen without being a major expense...They are about a third of the price. They last longer and they work.”
Food writer @Joan_Nathan couldn’t say exactly where yeast-dough hamentashen come from, but she speculated the cookie-dough/yeast dough divide as reflecting the traditional split between German and Eastern European Jews.
“If you look at old Lithuanian cookbooks, you will find a tradition of a yeast hamentashen,” said Nathan, who had just completed baking three dozen cookie dough hamentashens for her own celebrations. “I like the butter ones. They are more modern. I think they’re tastier.”
Unlike Blacker, Nathan traces the cookie dough hamentashen to the German tradition of butter crust pastry, “muerbeteig,” a preparation that lends itself to the micro-trend of fancy pastry being served during Purim in New York, Boston and elsewhere.
But yeast-dough hamentashen have a religious advantage for those keeping kosher: because they are not made with butter, they are considered “pareve,” meaning they can be eaten with dairy or meat meals.
Soft or yeast-dough hamantashen from Cheryl-Ann’s in South Brookline. These are filled with poppy seed or “mun.” 
You’ll have good luck finding hamantashen at the Greater Boston regional chain @TatteBakery.
A commandment at Purim-time is also to drink so you can’t tell the difference between the good guys and the bad guy (Haman.) @mamalehs has both hamantashen and slivovitz!
Here’s a video about soft dough hamantashen from @jdcreativity and me. #purimproject
And here’s our video on Newman’s.
That’s the #purimproject thread. Happy Purim!
@threadreaderapp, please unroll this Purim thread. #hamantashen
