It's customary to bake round loaves of challah on Rosh Hashanah. Some say the rounds represent the cycle of life or the year, while others say it nods to a crown God wears as the king of the New Year.

Chef Einat Admony's holiday challah is both laced and topped with apples. You can use the recipe to make two smaller braids or a larger wreath-shaped loaf for Rosh Hashanah.

These Greek leek fritters have been a favorite in cookbook author Shaily Lipa's family for generations. Her grandmother and great-grandmother brought the recipe from Thessaloniki with them to Mandatory Palestine in the 1930s. 

Mitchell Davis' mother Sondra had always told him that her matzah ball recipe was simply the one from the back of the box of matzah meal. But, when they made the soup together, it was clear that his mom had her own tricks.

Angela Josephsberg-Achsen’s kreplach are so popular in her family that she has to hide them when her grandchildren come over for Rosh Hashanah, so they aren’t devoured before the meal.

This meatball soup sports an undercurrent of pomegranate and loads of fresh herbs. Persian-Israeli cookbook author Rottem Lieberson’s family serves it on Rosh Hashanah and Friday afternoons before Shabbat arrives. Its brightness is also welcome on cold winter evenings. 

Ever since Annabel Rabiyah was little, she’s helped her father prepare kubbeh, an Iraqi dumpling soup. There are several different variations of the soup, but this one features green beans as well as dried limes and lemon juice, which add a tang.

This hearty stew from chef Einat Admony can easily be prepared a couple of days before the holiday and left in the refrigerator.

In Ruhama Shitrit's home, these Moroccan fish patties represent wishes for a blessed new year — and the beautiful multitude of cultures in her family. You can make these a day ahead; they’re even better the next day. 

When Anna Gershenson was little, her mother Rhoda made a simple chicken with onions. As a professional cook, Anna added olives, prunes, and lemon for a dish that’s special enough for a holiday, but simple enough to make during the week. 

The brisket recipe in chef Michael Solomonov’s family has evolved with each generation. His grandmother made hers with Heinz Chili Sauce and his mother added coffee. Michael uses espresso and dried apricots in their place.

This well spiced beef kofta curry from Max Nye's Iraqi-Indian Rosh Hashanah table is seasoned with coriander, cumin, garam masala, turmeric, and curry powder. Serve it with white rice or a more flavorful pilau.

In Persian cooking, fruits aren’t reserved exclusively for dessert, cookbook author Rottem Lieberson explains. They are added to stews with meat and vegetables like this khoresh that’s served during the High Holidays.

A beloved Shabbat staple in Iraqi households, t’bit traditionally cooks overnight. It’s a time consuming dish, but Ruhama Shitrit's version is far simpler. It retains all the warmth and spice of the original.

Recipe writer Ruhama Shitrit’s father, Kaduri, taught her how to make this dish, which features cooked basmati rice layered over a ring of onions flavored with baharat, a spice blend including nutmeg, cumin and cinnamon, and turmeric.

Laced with rose and harissa, this flavorful rice pilau pairs with Max Nye’s beef kofta curry for Rosh Hashanah, but would also go well with a simple roast chicken for Shabbat dinner.

Israeli-American recipe writer and influencer Ruhama Shitrit remembers her mother, Carmela, making this treasured recipe for special holidays like Rosh Hashanah; you’ll want these bright, intensely flavorful stuffed artichokes on your holiday table, too. 

In some Ashkenazi homes, it's customary to serve tzimmes at nearly every holiday and Friday night dinner. This recipe from Sonya Sanford offers a modern spin on the classic.

This bright and zingy arugula salad from Anna Gershenson offers a fresh note to a menu of Rosh Hashanah recipes like braised tongue or brisket, roast chicken, and teiglach for dessert.

Ruhama Shitrit's Iraqi grandfather would make this side salad of tomatoes, thinly sliced onions and amba, a tangy, fermented mango condiment. It brightens up a holiday perfectly.

Cookbook author Rottem Lieberson's grandmother Hanom hosted elaborate Persian Rosh Hashanah feasts. This simple eggplant recipe is inspired by her.

This cocktail recipe from chef Jeremy Salamon is inspired by his grandfather Steve. Since it uses freshly-made plum compote, we like to serve it around Rosh Hashanah, which falls during plum season.

Faloodeh often refers to a cold sweet made with rice noodles. Faloodeh sib, meanwhile, swaps noodles for shreds of apple. Rottem Lieberson’s grandmother always kept some stashed in the refrigerator in the fall — and everyone was welcome to take a sip when they liked. 

Full of blue plums, surrounded by a muerbeteig crust, and flavored with brandy, cinnamon, and lemon zest, this tart has always been part of cookbook author Joan Nathan’s family.

Nearly all of chef Ian Boden's family recipes and photos were lost a house fire caused by lightning. This apple cake recipe, which was tucked into a cookbook, is the only one that survived.

This sweet tart was inspired by a heritage trip chef and artist Elazar Tamano took with his father Melaku to Ethiopia. Elazar uses Ethiopian white honey for this recipe and strongly recommends seeking it out.

Chef Einat Admony serves this apple and date bread pudding for Rosh Hashanah, but it can be enjoyed throughout the fall and winter, or anytime when apples are in season.

One of culinary educator Anna Gershenson’s signature recipes, teiglach are small knots of dough boiled in honey. They are often served on Rosh Hashanah as a nod to a sweet new year.

When pastry chef and baker Zoe Kanan bakes honey cake, she follows her grandmother's wisdom and bakes it a few days in advance. "The flavor does actually improve as it sits around,” Zoe says.

Saffron-tinged halwa is a signature of the Bene Israel community of India, where many families have their own variation. This one is from Shamira Malekar’s family who always made it for Rosh Hashanah in India.

Culinary ingenuity was crucial in Yardena Gavish's hometown in Romania. For Rosh Hashanah, local women would beat the egg whites in this recipe until the crumb was almost white. Showing off your cake was a point of pride.

Honey cakes can often turn out dry, but the syrup drizzled over this one from Mitchell Davis ensures it stays moist. It's best baked the day before the holiday, which gives the cake plenty of time to soak up the syrup.

“You know, Persians, they’re not crazy about sweets,” cookbook author Rottem Lieberson says. Most often, fresh fruit and nuts are served at the conclusion of the meal, but marzipan like this recipe is an exception.