Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A pancake, especially one made of grated potato.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A pancake fried in oil, usually made from potatoes and sometimes also onions, traditionally served on Hanukkah.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun made of grated potato and egg with a little flour

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Yiddish, from Ukrainian oladka, from Old Russian, diminutive of olad'ya, from Greek eladia, pl. of eladion, little oily thing, diminutive of elaion, olive oil, from elaiā, olive.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Yiddish לאַטקע (latke), from either Russian латка ("pastry, patch").

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Examples

  • No matter how you spell it, latke is Yiddish for fried pancakes, typically of the potato variety.

    Slashfood Erik R. Trinidad 2009

  • There is another variable in latke preparation: oxidation.

    A Latke by Any Other Name... aka TBTAM 2007

  • The word latke derives from Yiddish, the Jewish language spoken by East European Jews.

    Ten Things Tuesday: Chanukah « The Life and Times of Organic Mama 2008

  • I think that a latke is a latke is a latke - except perhaps in Lithuania, their homeland, where they're called something else since 94% of the Jewish population was killed 60 years ago.

    Archive 2004-10-01 Jessica 2004

  • I think that a latke is a latke is a latke - except perhaps in Lithuania, their homeland, where they're called something else since 94% of the Jewish population was killed 60 years ago.

    Strange stats Jessica 2004

  • So it was with some skepticism that I approached Ruthie & Gussie's Traditional Potato Pancake (Latke) Batter: how authentic could it be if the word "latke" is in parentheses?

    Food: Batter Up! 2007

  • If my ancestors decided to choose foods cooked in oil as symbolic of Hanukkah, my foremothers found a winner in the potato pancake or latke which is Yiddish for the delicacy.

    Archive 2006-12-01 FJK 2006

  • If my ancestors decided to choose foods cooked in oil as symbolic of Hanukkah, my foremothers found a winner in the potato pancake or latke which is Yiddish for the delicacy.

    Chanukah or Hanukkah Part 2 -- Come Fry the Latkes FJK 2006

  • Being a nice Jewish girl, I'm tempted by a latke cookoff.

    Lea Lane: Sailing On The Cheap Aboard A Repositioning Cruise Lea Lane 2011

  • Even though my menorah is dedicated to the latke, the symbolic fried food that I make for chanukah comes from my Hungarian roots: langos.

    Vivian Reiss: Happy Hanukkah: the Latke Mobile Menorah Vivian Reiss 2011

Comments

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  • Potato pancakes, latkes or latkas (Yiddish: ל�?ַטקעס), are shallow-fried cakes of grated potato and egg, often flavoured with grated onion. They are a popular food at Hanukkah.

    February 19, 2008