Hanukkah brings with it the aroma of two iconic foods: לביבות and סופגניות. Today, these two treats are entirely different. סופגניות are made from sweet, fluffy yeast dough, shaped into round balls, and typically filled with jam. In contrast, לביבות are usually made from potatoes and eggs, taking on a flat, circular shape. However, the distinction between these foods was not always so clear-cut.
Latkes (לביבות)
Descriptions of לביבות in old Hanukkah children's songs paint a very different picture from what we know today. In many songs, including Bialik’s famous “לכבוד החנוכה,” the לביבה is sweet. Some songs even detail the ingredients needed to make לביבות, which do not include potatoes but rather flour, oil, and sugar. For example, Levin Kipnis's song "לביבות נעשה" begins with, "קמח קמח מן השק / שמן שמן מן הכד," followed by, "עוד נוסיף ביצה מסל / עוד סוכר דק וחסל." Similarly, Rabbi Kalman in the story "מעשה בלביבות" by תלמה אליגון־רוז and חיה פרנקל makes לביבות from flour, oil, and sugar—not potatoes.
The story of the word לביבה begins in the Bible, in the tale of אמנון ותמר. אמנון, desiring his half-sister תמר, feigned illness and requested from their father דוד: "תבוא נא תמר אחותי ותלבב לעיני שתי לביבות ואברה מידה" (שמואל ב יג, ו). The text later describes: "ותקח את הבצק ותלוש ותלבב לעיניו, ותבשל את הלביבות. ותקח את המשרת ותצוק לפניו…" (שם, ח–ט).
The origin of the word לביבה is unclear, but it seems to be connected to the word לב (heart). Some suggest it is named for its shape resembling a heart, while others propose that it refers to the "heart’s desire" for the dish, as explained in the ספר המליצה and בן־יהודה’s dictionary.
According to the biblical account, the לביבות were made from dough and cooked in a משרת, a term that appears only once in the Bible. Later interpretations, including רש"י’s commentary, describe a preparation involving dough boiled and then fried in oil. In medieval rabbinic literature, לביבה referred to dough cooked in a pot or fried in oil. אליעזר בן־יהודה noted in his dictionary that in modern times, the term came to describe a soft, puffy dough fried in oil and sometimes coated in honey—a usage consistent with children's songs of the time.
In the modern era, especially among European Jews, the word לביבה translates to the Yiddish latke, which refers to a fried batter dish, typically made with potatoes and eggs. Why this particular meaning took hold is uncertain, but the similarity in their initial letters (L) may have played a role.
Sufganiyot (סופגניות)
The term סופגניות was coined by דוד ילין, based on the Talmudic word סופגנין, which referred to a puffy, sponge-like baked pastry. However, in medieval Hebrew, סופגנין also referred to fried dough, likely resembling today’s סופגניות. This usage was influenced by a similar dish in Arabic, ספינג', which is still enjoyed during Hanukkah in North African Jewish communities. The resemblance between ספינג' and סופגנין is no coincidence; both trace their origins to the Greek word spongos, meaning sponge.
Initially, ילין used the word סופגניות to describe butter cookies and other soft pastries. However, the Hebrew Language Committee later adopted the term in 1913 to mean latkes—possibly because both foods absorb oil. Eventually, the term became associated exclusively with the traditional Ashkenazi Hanukkah treat, a change likely influenced by the resemblance of סופגניות to ספינג' and their oil-soaked, spongy texture.
The singular form of סופגניות was standardized as סופגנית with the diminutive suffix "-ית" (small sponge). However, in everyday speech, the singular form commonly used is סופגניה. Similar shifts occurred with other modern food names, such as עוגית becoming עוגיה (cookie) and נקניקית becoming נקניקיה (sausage).
A Timeless Treat
Let us conclude with מנדלי מוכר ספרים's ode to the לביבה in “למדו היטב,” even though it refers to a type of לביבה unrelated to Hanukkah:"מה אעידך ומה אדמה לך הלביבה הקדושה! […] הן עמודי מצרים ימושו וגבעותיהם תמוטינה ואין זכר להם, והלביבה הקטנה, יסודה מבצק, לדֹר דורים תעמוד, ולא תמוש מפינו ומפי זרענו ומפי זרע זרענו מעתה ועד עולם!"
Happy Hanukkah!
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