Charoset samosa recipe taught as Jewish and Muslim share Pesach food customs

Charoset-filled samosas took centre stage at an interfaith Pesach event this week attended by 30 Jewish and Muslim women.

Interfaith group Nisa-Nashim’s virtual cook-in this week featured participants from London to Birmingham and as far afield as St Louis in Missouri, US.

The digital get-together took an unexpected turn however, when Stacy Friedman, co-chair of the group’s new North Manchester branch, shared her Indian recipe for charoset, which is the sweet paste on the seder table.

Filling it with sing mango, toasted almonds and dates, after the meeting, she shared photos of her Indian charoset baked into braided fruit bread, while Hifsa Haroon-Iqbal, Nisa-Nashim chair, produced samosas with the sweet treat.

Laura Marks, Nisa-Nashim co-founder said “The appetite for learning, sharing, laughing and eating has become a hallmark of Nisa-Nashim events over lockdown. A charoset filled samosa may be a novelty, but for us, it just epitomised the joy of togetherness at Pesach.”

Hifsa Haroon-Iqbal, chair of Nisa-Nashim trustees said “It has been wonderful to hear about the different family traditions and foods around the seder. As Jewish and Muslim sisters, it is so important that we are able to be there for each other as we face our festivals in lockdown for a second year.”