🍎🍯The day and night leading up to Rosh Hashanah were always busy with culinary preparations when Shamira Malekar was growing up in Bombay. Shamira remembers one of her tasks was helping stir chik-cha halwa, a sweet made with coconut and wheat starch. Women in her family gathered in the kitchen to make it together, starting by soaking the wheat and grinding fresh coconut to make milk. Then they stirred the creamy mixture as it cooked for hours, adding saffron to lend it a golden hue and dried fruit for sweetness. 🍬 🇮🇳It’s a signature of the Bene Israel, India’s largest Jewish community, which according to their traditions descends from one of the lost 10 tribes of Israel who were shipwrecked off the coast of India. Each family’s halwa is slightly different, explains Shamira, but the custom of enjoying it on the holiday is widespread. 🍽 🔗 Link in bio for Shamira’s halwa recipe + more on her family story! 💫 📸: @armandorafaelphotography 🍡: @marianavelasquezv