Updated, 8:27 a.m.

Good morning on this frosty Monday.

In the same way that Christmas evokes images of Santa Claus and stuffed stockings, Hanukkah, which begins on Saturday, traditionally brings to mind dreidels and menorahs.

And fried food.

Oil is, after all, the magic ingredient central to the Hanukkah story.

The abridged version — and you can read a more in-depth explanation here — is that the ancient temple in Jerusalem housed an eternal flame. When that temple was pillaged by foreign invaders, the remaining oil was barely enough to burn for one more day. But the miracle of Hanukkah is that this tiny amount of oil kept the flame burning for eight straight days.

This is why the holiday is observed for eight nights. And celebrated, both in candles and in food, with oodles of oil.

“Anything that’s kosher and fried is appropriate on Hanukkah,” said David-Seth Kirshner, the former president of the New York Board of Rabbis. “In theory, there is no reason you can’t eat kosher chicken nuggets or French fries, or kosher Kentucky fried chicken.”