Book of Days Tales

The Thursday in Holy Week celebrates the Last Supper which the Synoptic Gospels state was a Passover meal. As such the main dish would have been a lamb ritually slaughtered by priests at the temple in Jerusalem. All that remains of the ritual lamb in modern times at the seder meal is a shank bone on the seder plate, given that sacrifices ceased in 70 CE when Romans destroyed the temple. There are numerous symbolic foods on the table at contemporary seders including charoset which comes in multiple varieties depending on regional variations. It supposedly represents the mortar that the Israelite slaves used in their buildings.

Many recipes include at least some of the fruits and spices mentioned in the Song of Songs: apples, figs, pomegranates, grapes, walnuts, dates, with the addition of wine, saffron, and cinnamon. The spices used vary among cultures; Yemenites use cloves and pepper, while U.S. Jews typically use cinnamon. In Italy, Venetian Jews have been known to add chestnuts and pine nuts.  Sephardi charoset is a paste made of raisins, figs and dates. Egyptian Jews make it from dates, raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, and sweet wine. Greek and Turkish Jews use apples, dates, chopped almonds, and wine. Italian Jews add chestnuts. Suriname Jews add coconut. Iraqi Jews make it from a mixture of dates and nuts. Here is a serviceable recipe from my New York friends:

Ingredients

2 cooking apples, peeled and coarsely grated
1 cup walnuts, finely ground
2 tbsp sweet red wine
2 tsp honey
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

Mix the ingredients in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Some people eat the charoset with matzoh.