Today is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Lots of Jewish holidays have particular foods attached to them, and many have complex dietary rules surrounding them. The demands of Rosh Hashanah, though, are simple and easy to comply with: start the new year with something sweet.

Many European Jews fulfil this requirement with apples dipped in honey, a traditional Rosh Hashanah pairing. My family, being from the Middle East, has somewhat different traditions. Whereas at every other time of year we break our bread and dip it in salt, on Rosh Hashanah we dip it in sugar. We pass around a plate of plump medjool dates. We pile up treats flavored with the Middle Eastern dessert aromatics of choice: Rosewater and Cardamom. We drench pastries with a sugar syrup perfumed with roses, cardamom, and lemon. We eat candies infused with the aroma of roses, like these marzipan dainties.

Sweet foods for a sweet year. A simple superstition, but one I don't mind indulging. Happy New Year everybody.