Each festival has its special food that combines tradition with taste, but on Rosh Hashanah it’s not what you eat, but the intent of why you eat it.

The apple dipped into honey has come to symbolize Rosh Hashanah in art and illustrations. We first make the blessing on the apple to thank G-d for creating the fruit, and then partake of the sweetness with a short prayer for a sweet year. We dip the challa, too, into honey for the same reason.

In addition, it is customary to eat certain fruit and vegetables as a “siman” (sign) of prayer and hope to promote future good, and avert bad.

These ‘good food signs’ are eaten at the beginning of the Holiday dinner, after the challa, on the first night of Rosh Hashanah.

(On the second night of Rosh Hashanah we eat a new exotic fresh fruit (such as mango, papaya or any fruit you haven’t yet had this season) right after reciting the Kiddush, to extend the
holiday’s “Shehechiyanu” blessing also over the fruit.)

Carrots, usually in a “Tzimmes” stew, are eaten because its name in both Hebrew and also in Yiddish has good associations. A squash, “kra” in Aramaic, means “to tear” in Hebrew, expressing our hope “kra roah ha-gzera” to “tear up” and prevent bad things from occurring.

The pomegranate’s many seeds symbolize our aspiration to increase and multiply our Mitzvot (merits).

A Rosh Hashanah specialty is the head of an animal, reflecting our wish to be the head — not the tail; but since my husband dislikes fish or animal heads, we serve tongue, a rare tasty treat. The tongue allows us a double wish. Coming from the head, we request that we be ahead and not left at the tail end, plus tongue in Hebrew is “lashon,” reminding us not to speak any “lashon hara,” (evil speech).

The above are recommendations of what to eat, but there are two things we don’t eat on Rosh Hashanah: vinegar and nuts. We don’t use vinegar to avoid sour (negative) tastes, and we don’t eat nuts since the little pieces make us have to clear our throat often, annoying during the prayers. Also, the “gimatria” (numeric value) of “nut” in Hebrew equals sin.

We can also add to the above mentioned Aramaic or Hebrew words by using appropriate food puns in the vernacular. My sister-in-law places a stick of celery and raisins on her Rosh Hashanah table to express her family’s wish for a “salary raise.”

On a similar note, I had once thought that a “Goodyear” tire might be a creative New Year idea, but besides not being edible, would you want a tire on your table?!