# Trying to figure out the mystery of the transmogrifying hamantaschen **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 2, 2019, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-the-mystery-of-the-transmogrifying-hamantaschen/831944 "2019-04-02T19:16:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-the-mystery-of-the-transmogrifying-hamantaschen/831944/1 "2019-04-02T19:16:22Z")
1. I buy a box of apricot/raspberry hamantaschen at Nearby-Town Supermarket. The box is transparent plastic, and I can very clearly see that the jelly at the center is, in fact, raspberry or apricot. 2. The night before Purim, I pack a _shalach manot_ bag for my friend, and put in three hamantaschen. I distinctly remember trying to decide whether to put in two raspberry and one apricot, or two apricot and one raspberry. That implies, again, that I am looking at the filling and seeing that it is red or orange jam. I put the bag in the fridge. 3. Purim day, I deliver the _shalach manot_. I do not look inside the bags, because I know what I put in them, right? 4. I ask if anyone knows where the rest of the raspberry/apricot hamantaschen are, because I’d like to try one. Further searching turns up a plastic box from Nearby-Town Supermarket, but it’s got halvah filling. We pretty much all agree that halvah hamantaschen sounds weird at best, and wonder who gave it to us. The original box is never found. 5. I see my friend today, and ask her how she liked the hamantaschen. She asks me what flavor they were. I say, apricot and raspberry jam. She insists it wasn’t. I say, it said apricot and raspberry on the box. She says, she doesn’t know about any box, but the filling wasn’t jam. It was some sort of strange, sweet, white substance. Like halvah, say. 6. I start doubting my sanity. Christians make a big deal about turning water into wine, but apparently we Jews have pastries that can change from jam to halvah. It’s a miracle! Or maybe there are cookie fair folk, and they sneak in during the night and replace the original snacks with changelings. Or possibly there was a glitch in the Matrix. I am just so confused. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-the-mystery-of-the-transmogrifying-hamantaschen/831944/2 "2019-04-02T19:39:53Z")
Dang. That is weird. And the trouble is, you have to wait a whole year before you can set up an experiment under identical, controlled scientific conditions. However, on the up side, you have a whole year to design a foolproof experiment. And when you do the experiment, you’ll obviously have to buy many boxes of hamantaschen, so you’ll have plenty to snack on \*and \*give away. So there’s that. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-the-mystery-of-the-transmogrifying-hamantaschen/831944/3 "2019-04-02T20:22:40Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > Christians make a big deal about turning water into wine, but apparently we Jews have **pastries that can change from jam to halvah.** It’s a miracle! Or maybe there are cookie fair folk, and they sneak in during the night and replace the original snacks with changelings. Or possibly there was a glitch in the Matrix. > > I am just so confused. That is horrible, since I don’t like halvah. Why couldn’t fillings been turned into prune? ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-the-mystery-of-the-transmogrifying-hamantaschen/831944/4 "2019-04-02T20:45:50Z")
So the question is “Halvah hell did THAT happen?” ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-the-mystery-of-the-transmogrifying-hamantaschen/831944/5 "2019-04-02T20:46:30Z")
Solution for next year! When you pack a “goodie box” for your friend, EAT several of each type of cookie. Give your friend the leftovers! ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-the-mystery-of-the-transmogrifying-hamantaschen/831944/6 "2019-04-02T23:10:27Z")
I’m not Jewish, but I love hamantaschen and make some every year. I made chocolate ones and filled a third of them with raspberry jam, another third with Nutella, and the last third with Reese’s peanut butter chocolate spread. Nothing untoward occurred with the fillings. Maybe make your own next year? It’s the only way to be sure! ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-the-mystery-of-the-transmogrifying-hamantaschen/831944/7 "2019-04-03T02:15:58Z")
[Where’s **Zev Steinhardt** when you need him?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=718311&highlight=hamantaschen)