Latke season is upon us, people! Hanukkah starts on December 20th this year, and with it comes the glory of fried potato pancakes. For those who flunked out of Sunday school, a brief reminder of the history of the edible tradition: the oil used to cook latkes is symbolic of the oil used to keep the Second Temple in ancient Israel alight. Of course, potato pancakes aren't just a Jewish thing: they're hugely popular as a secular dish across Eastern Europe (fun fact: they're the national dish of Belarus!), Germany, and even Luxembourg. Wherever you are, the key to a killer latke is grease: fry your cakes up in plenty of hot oil, then have toppings sweet (applesauce) and savory (sour cream) at the ready. If you (understandably) don't want to fill your house with grease, hit up the epic latke cook-off this Monday at BAM, or check out these five restaurants instead: more ›