One of my favorite memories growing up was helping my father make Charoset on erev Pesach (Passover eve). Somehow, it was always his job in his family, and it became our thing to do together. We had this old world chopper and a wooden bowl, and we'd stand at the table making Charoset together. Charoset is one of the food items that are included on the seder plate. Charoset symbolizes the mortar that the Jews used in Egypt as slaves working with bricks. Though all Jews share the same idea behind Charoset, and it is included in some form on all seder plates, Charoest itself also serves as a symbol of where your family comes from - geographically speaking.

In our family, Charoset is made from red apples, walnuts, cinnamon and dry red wine. It's chopped together by hand (though other people are known to use a food processor). Here's some interesting information I found from Wikipedia on how people from around the world prepare Charoset. Prepare a few recipes and have a seder taste test!

Despite its symbolism, the charoset is a tasty concoction which is a favorite of children. During the Seder meal, it may be eaten liberally, often spread on matzah. Some people believe it is the tastiest thing eaten during the holiday.

There are as many recipes for charoset as there are Jewish families.

A typical recipe from the Eastern European (or Ashkenazi) tradition would include nuts, apples, cinnamon, and sweet wine—ingredients mentioned by King Solomon in Song of Songs as recalling the attributes of the Jewish people themselves. Honey or sugar may be used as a sweetener and binder: the mixture is not cooked.
Recipes in the Sephardi tradition are usually cooked and may include raisins and ingredients native to the Middle East, such as figs, dates and sesame seeds. For example:
In Egypt, it is made only of dates, walnuts, cinnamon and sweet wine.
In Greece and Turkey, it consists of apples, dates, chopped almonds and wine.
In Iraq and Central Asia it sometimes consists of grape jelly
In Italy, it can include chestnuts
In Spanish and Portuguese communities of the New World, such as Surinam, it may include coconut.