This is from Cooking Light. Seder means order in Hebrew, and the seder meal has several components symbolic of the story retold each year. The meal always includes haroset, a condiment made of fruit, nuts, and honey. Its thick, chutneylike consistency symbolizes the bricks and mortar the Jews had to prepare when they were slaves, while its sweetness represents the joy of freedom that followed their slavery. The tradition of eating haroset as part of the seder dates back at least 1,500 years. Haroset is a kosher dish that showcases the richness of Jewish culinary traditions. As people settled in different areas, they made creative use of local ingredients. Ashkenazic Jews (those from Germany and Eastern Europe) favored apple-based haroset. Sephardic Jews from Spain and countries farther south and east, such as Tunisia, Greece, and Turkey, made their haroset with dates, figs, and other dried fruit (showcased in our Turkish Haroset). In addition to these traditions, it seems every family has its own heirloom recipe. New versions are created all the time, like New England Haroset, which incorporates dried cranberries and maple syrup.