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According to 23andMe, I am genetically predisposed to prefer sweet over salty foods.

I really didn’t need them to tell me that. No wonder I love Rosh Hashanah cuisine so much. Apples dipped in honey, raisins in our challah – sweetness is the order of the day. So many ways to wish each other a sweet New Year.

North Orange County synagogues are abuzz with preparations for the holiday, which begins at sundown on Sept. 25. Temple Beth Tikvah in Fullerton and Temple Beth Ohr will hold services both in person and on zoom. Chabad of Yorba Linda’s services will be in person only.

The tradition of eating apples on Rosh Hashanah began with the French, according to rabbi and food historian Gil Marks of blessed memory.

As he notes in his “Encyclopedia of Jewish Food,” a prayer book compiled circa 1100 explained it like this: “The residents of France have the custom to eat on Rosh Hashanah red apples, everything new and bright and good for a good sign for all Israel.” This tradition spread widely amongst Eastern European Jews, whose most popular Rosh Hashanah tradition is the dipping of apple slices in honey at the beginning of the evening meal.

Marks notes that some communities avoid certain foods for this holiday as well.

“Eastern Europeans eschew nuts, as well as any sour food, even sweet-and-sour dishes,” he writes. “In North Africa, black foods, a color associated with mourning – including olives, raisins, eggplant, coffee and chocolate – are banned. Iraqi Jews avoid fish, since its Hebrew name is similar to the Hebrew words ‘to worry.’”

While brisket and roast chicken are standard fare for my Eastern European family’s holiday dinners, Mizrahi Jews, from the Middle East and North Africa, dine on dishes like the tender, spicy lamb dish featured here.

I love the pungent Moroccan spice mixture and usually make extra to save for flavoring other dishes.

The wine is an untraditional addition and would never be used in a Moroccan kitchen. Interestingly, cookbook author Joyce Goldstein told me that Jews in Arab countries, despite the fact that they do not share their neighbors’ prohibition against drinking wine, traditionally do not use it in cooking either. Purists may substitute additional chicken broth for the wine.

Fullerton’s Judy Bart Kancigor is the author of “Cooking Jewish” and “The Perfect Passover Cookbook.” Her website is cookingjewish.com.

This recipe comes from “Cooking Jewish” by Judy Bart Kancigor. Yield: 4 servings

Feel free to substitute dried plums for all or part of the apricots. This dish tastes even better the next day and freezes well.

For the Moroccan Spice Mix, combine the spices in a spice grinder or coffee mill, and grind until fine and well mixed.

2. Dry lamb shanks well with paper towels, then season them all over with salt.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a Dutch oven or other large, heavy, ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Add shanks and brown them on all sides, about 15 minutes altogether. Remove shanks and set aside.

4. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pot, if necessary (you will need it if you have been diligent in removing all visible fat from lamb), reduce heat to medium, and cook onions until soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Remove pot from heat. Stir in wine and deglaze the pot, scraping up all the crusty brown bits. Stir in chicken stock and Moroccan Spice Mix. Return lamb shanks to pot. Place pot in oven and roast, covered, turning and basting shanks frequently, for about 1 hour. Add apricots and continue roasting, covered, until meat is very soft, about 1 1/2 hours.

5. Transfer shanks to a platter and keep warm. Remove as much fat as possible from sauce, using a spoon or fat separator. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over lamb shanks and serve, passing any extra sauce in a sauce boat.

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