Israelis purchased roughly 30 million Hamantashen pastries, the traditional food which celebrates the hanging of the Jewish People's enemy Haman in the Scroll of Esther, in the weeks before Purim this year, manufacturers said Thursday.  Hamantashen are pastries Sales were 30 percent higher than they were in 2007, despite an increase in prices.

The manufacturers report that the average Israeli purchased roughly 500 grams of Hamantashen and paid between 13 and 17 shekels.  The most popular pastry filling was chocolate, followed by date, apricot, and nut.