Simon And Garfunkel's Favorite Appetizer Was All About The Spuds

Known as one of the best-selling artists of the 1960s, acoustic duo Simon and Garfunkel have cemented themselves in music alongside names like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Bob Dylan. Although the group disbanded in 1970 after only releasing five studio albums together, their legacy endures through their Billboard charting songs and contributions to film soundtracks.

Both native New Yorkers, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel had Jewish families, which influenced their identity and values long before they met in school. Their shared religion and love of music brought the two together in more ways than one. The two both loved to eat one particular Jewish dish: latkes. They even put their own spin on the dish by making them bite-sized to serve as an appetizer for friends. According to the recipe, which was published in "Singers & Swingers in the Kitchen" by Roberta Ashley, Simon and Garfunkel would combine grated potatoes with milk, flour, salt, and onion, fry the mixture into miniature discs in hot oil, and serve the potato pancakes hot with apple sauce or sour cream on top.

Although latkes are often called potato pancakes and vice versa, these dishes are two distinct foods. Both are made using grated potatoes, eggs, and onions. However, when it comes to comparing latkes to potato pancakes, that is where the similarities end. Latkes are a type of potato pancake with Italian origins. A latke recipe starts the same way as a potato pancake recipe but adds a few more ingredients, including matzo meal, milk, and baking powder.

The use of matzo meal is part of what ties latkes into Jewish culture. Matzo meal is made from ground-up matzo, which is a bread made using only water and flour with no shortening or yeast. Historically, this bread represents the suffering of the Jewish people who ate the unleavened bread in the desert after escaping slavery in Egypt.

As a dish, latkes are also culturally significant. The dish is eaten during Hanukkah to celebrate the menorah of the Second Temple of Jerusalem, which burned for eight days straight despite only having enough oil for one day. The use of oil when frying latkes is done intentionally to symbolize the miracle of the burning menorah.

Today, latkes are still eaten by many families not just during Hanukkah but year-round. These crispy potato pancakes can even be found alongside other cultural favorites in Jewish delis and restaurants. When it comes to Simon and Garfunkel, although it was music that brought the two together, chances are their Jewish upbringing is what led them to enjoy latkes, initially with their families and eventually with each other.