Some argue that hamantaschen are significant, and symbolic, because when they are pinched tight they conceal their tasty fillings. Hiding is something of a theme in the megillah of Esther. Just as Esther hides her true identity, and God's presence is hidden throughout the text, so hamantaschen hide their fillings from view. (My own hamentaschen tend to be kind of exhibitionist, so this explanation doesn't work too well in my house.)

If you're interested in tracing the history of hamantaschen through classical Jewish source texts, there's a great post here at Seforim blog. Eliezer Brodt cites sixteenth-century Italian Jewish plays, Renaissance liturgical parodies, and nineteenth-century Lithuanian memoirs in his exploration of hamantaschen's origins. If you're into the comparative-religions view, you might dig Naomi Chana's 2004 post which notes the clear link between Mordechai and Marduk, Esther and Ishtar -- which leads me to wonder whether these notably yonic cookies were originally cakes for the Queen of Heaven, like the ones Jeremiah denounces in chapter 7, verse 18 of the book which bears his name.

(While I'm at it, in the spirit of Purim Torah, don't miss Seth Brown's exploration of the three-pointed throwing stars that truly saved the day back in the reign of King Achashverosh: Purim Origins Revealed.)

Enough theory; on to the baking! My recipe includes the zest of an orange, which makes me think of the Sefardic pastry orejas de Aman (in Hebrew, oznei Haman), "Haman's Ears," which -- according to Cucina Ebraica -- are twists of pastry dough flavored with orange rind and deep-fried. Though this Ladino page defines oznei Aman as "una forma de biskochos en forma de triangolo," and googling the name brings me to this Spanish-language hamantaschen recipe, both of which suggest that the Ladino name today generally means, well, hamantaschen. (Man: next year, I want to try dulce de leche as a filling. I might also have to attempt naan-e berenji, rice flour poppyseed cookies from Iran, the part of the world where our tale takes place...)

Making hamentaschen is like making dumplings. If the corners don't seal properly, they lose structural integrity in the cooking; in my first batch today two cookies came entirely apart, turning into discs of dough with filling on top. (I had to eat them. It was tragic, really.) So if you make them, pinch the corners firmly! Whatever they mean, and wherever they come from, they're yummy. B'teavon / bon appetit!

Hamentashen

4 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. sugar
4 eggs
1/4 c. orange juice
2/3 c. cooking oil
grated rind of 1 orange

Sift the dry ingredients (including sugar) into a bowl.  Beat the eggs, oil, juice, and rind and stir into the dry ingredients.  Knead dough lightly until smooth.  Roll  dough to 1/8" thickness and cut into rounds (I use a biscuit cutter; you could also use a drinking glass.)  Put a spoonfull of filling* in the center of each round.  Fold edges inward and pinch at the  corners /_\ to  form a triangle.   

*For filling, you can use jam, canned pie filling (apricot and plum/prune are classics, though cherry would probably work well too), nutella...whatever sounds good!

Bake on a greased baking sheet at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or  until lightly browned.  Makes about 4 dozen. Enjoy!

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