Try this Italian charoset recipe for the Passover / Pesach Seder, just one of many Italian charoset recipe versions, depending on the individual Italian-Jewish family charoset recipe and on the city where Italian-Jewish families live in Italy, since the availability of charoset ingredients has varied depending on one's location, and Italian-Jewish families have used fruits that have been available where they have lived in Italy as part of developing their unique version of an Italian charoset recipe.

Italian charoset (also spelled: Italian charoses, Italian haroset, Italian charoseth, Italian haroseth, Italian haroses, Italian kharoset, Italian kharoseth, and Italian kharoses) varies widely depending on the region, city, and even family. An Italian charoset recipe will contain different ingredients and in different quantities, depending on which fruits and other ingredients are available in the area where one is located in Italy. An Italian charoset recipe will also vary with each Italian-Jewish family, many of which have a charoset recipe passed down through the generations. There are also general versions of Italian charoset recipes, and the following Italian charoset recipe is but one such general version.

Charoset is a symbolic food of the Passover / Pesach festival, symbolizing - and deliberately looking like - the mortar with which the enslaved Hebrews used to make bricks in building store-houses and supply centers for the Pharaoh of ancient Egypt. Although charoset is usually eaten only during the Passover / Pesach festival, it can be used throughout the year as a spread or as an addition to other foods, such as a filling.

Italian Charoset Recipe

1/2 pound pitted dates
1/2 pound shelled walnuts
3 large apples, peeled and cored
1 large unpeeled seedless orange, thoroughly washed
2 large bananas
1/2 cup sweet Passover wine (see note below)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Matzo meal as needed

Instructions for the Italian Charoset recipe:

  1. Very finely chop dates, walnuts, apples and orange, and place them in a bowl.
  2. Mash bananas; add them to the bowl. Add wine, cinnamon, cloves and lemon juice.
  3. Mix well. Add matzo meal as needed to make a mortar-like paste.

Makes about 6 1/2 to 7 cups.

Note: You can use Concord grape Kosher-for-Passover wine to make an excellent charoset. Also, matzah meal is optional for this recipe, it is not absolutely necessary.

Nutrition Information (per 1/2-cup serving): Calories: 216; Calories From Fat: 87; % Daily Value: Total Fat: 10 grams = 15%; Saturated fat: 1 gram = 5%; Cholesterol: 0 milligrams = 0%; Sodium: 3 milligrams = 0%; Total Carbohydrates: 29 grams = 10%; Dietary Fiber: 4 grams = 14%; Sugars: 20 grams; Protein: 3 grams; Vitamin A: 1%; Vitamin C: 22%; Calcium: 3%; Iron: 5%.


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