The Basics:
Chanukkah symbolizes the revolt of the Hellenistic Jews against the (ancient) Greek government who tried to assimilate them into their society and destroy their temple. The revolt was a success, and the temple re-dedicated. Part of the re-dedication was the lighting of an olive-oil lamp which only had a 1-day supply of holy oil in it, but which remained lit for a miraculous 8 days (signifying the 8 days of Chanukkah)

And So We Eat to Remember
For Chanukkah, it is a tradition to serve foods fried in oil. The most famous candidate is the potato latke (or for my gentile friends: the potato pancake). There are plenty of different ways to make the latke (most involve losing a little knuckle skin in the potato grating process) – here’s a recipe which I use:

4 Idaho potatoes
1 medium onion
2 eggs
3/4 cup matzah meal (bread crumbs can be substituted)
Lots of vegetable oil

1. Using a grater (or a madoline