The food customs of Rosh Hashanah are very traditional and they carry with them several meanings. By eating foods that have positive connotations, a person realizes that now is the time to ask for good things because now is the time you are being judged. Eating these foods reminds a person that now is the time for repentance. It also demonstrates the we have accepted Hashem as our king.
Chalah dipped in honey is eaten on the first day of Rosh Hoshanah (Chalah is a sort of braided egg bread). Honey represented good living and wealth in the Bible. Israel is often referred to as the “land of milk and honey.” After the chalah dipped in honey is eaten, we then eat apple which has also been dipped in honey, asking God to renew us for a good and sweet year.
New fruit is eaten on the second day. New fruit is the fruits that have just come into season, but that we have not had a chance to eat yet. When this fruit is eaten, we say a blessing of thanks to God for bringing us to this new season and for keeping us alive. It shows appreciation for the fruits of the earth and appreciation for being alive to enjoy them. Usually a pomegranate is eaten. It is said that the pomegranate contains 613 seeds, equal to the number of Torah Obligations.
On the third day, cabbage is usually eaten. Cabbage represents being “cut off.” And a prayer is said requesting that our enemies be cut off or destroyed.
On the fourth day, beets are eaten, representing removal and requesting that our adversaries be removed.
On the fifth and final day, dates are eaten because represent being “consumed.” With eating the dates, we request that our enemies be consumed.
Some Jewish communities eat the head of a fish during their Rosh Hashanah holiday meal because the head of the fish is a symbol of fertility and abundance.