Sufganiyah: Israeli Donuts


I used to love Czech donuts (called “koblihy”) filled with strawberry or apricot jam as a child. Israeli sufganiyah are very similar to ours, the small difference is that the filling is not inside the donut, but only on the top part. Sufganiyah are popular in Israel also thanks to Hanukkah – an eight-day Jewish holiday, when one of the traditions is eating fried food.

Israeli donuts
Israeli donuts

The traditional filling is strawberry jam, but often you can find fillings made from vanilla or chocolate cream. Sufganiyah can be found in the offer of almost every second bakery, with the approaching Hanukkah holiday, the offer significantly increases. The Israeli Ministry of Defense reportedly buys up to 400,000 pieces of this fried delicacy for its soldiers on this holiday.

Israeli donuts
Israeli donuts

One donut with vanilla or chocolate filling costs 7 shekels, which is approximately 2 EUR. This may seem a lot compared to the price of a classic donut. However, the weight of the Israeli donut is significantly larger the amount of dough is estimated to be four times more. If you like donuts, be sure to taste the Israeli version – sufganiyah.

Bon appetit!