Hamantasch
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A hamantasch (also spelled hamentash, homentasch, homentash, pluralized with -en; Yiddish המן־טאַש homen-tash) is a cookie in Jewish cuisine recognizable for its 3-cornered shape. It is eaten during the Jewish holiday of Purim. Traditional fillings are poppy seeds or prune, but they are made with many different flavors, including nut, date, apricot, or chocolate.
Hamantaschen are generally made by rolling the dough thin, cutting it into circles (of various sizes), placing filling in the center, and folding in three sides. The dough is generally a cookie dough, usually made with non-dairy products, with orange juice and/or rind added. Sometimes a yeast dough is used instead.
Hamantaschen literally means "Haman's pockets". Haman is the villain of Purim, and according to legend wore a triangular hat. In Israel, they are called אוזני המן (Oznei Haman) (Hebrew for "Haman's ears").
[edit] Notes
Some people refer to these as hamentaschen even in the singular (for example, "I ate one raspberry hamentaschen"). Though this is not grammatically correct technically, it is still a common practice.
