For the Love of Matzoh

Having been with my husband for over 4 years, I’ve come to know and love all the Jewish holidays, including Passover. I am enchanted by the beautiful rituals, prayers, and song. Oh, and did I mention the food? The Passover Seder is the ritual feast that begins the holiday. Imagine mounds of tender brisket, a sweet and spicy mixture of apples and nuts (charoset), and copious amounts of wine (during a traditional Seder you end up imbibing 4 glasses). These are just a few tasty delights on the Seder table. Many foods come with a special significance – like Matzoh (say mah-tsah). Passover is the remembrance of the Jews’ exodus from Egypt. Imagine being oppressed for a really long time and then God finally steps in and wants to free you. Finally, after being spared from horrible plagues, you are free to go, but you don’t really have time to pack. This is a grab and go situation. Wanting something to eat on the road, you pack some snacks. The only problem is the bread you are baking won’t rise fast enough. Have you ever made bread? It takes a long time! So you throw some flour and water together, ditch the yeast, and violà! MATZOH!

It’s taken me a few years to appreciate matzoh. It looks a little unappealing (like cardboard). And if you don’t put anything on it, it kind of tastes like cardboard too. But if I wanted to hang with my husband, his family, and our Jewish friends, I had to learn to like it. After all, for the duration of Passover, one of the items on the no-no list is bread. Luckily, I’ve learned that matzoh is pretty versatile. For example, when treated like an absurdly large cracker, it’s just a vehicle that can hold a large amount of yummy (Passover friendly) toppings. Here are some of my favorite matzoh meals:

Peanut butter and banana (a good breakfast staple)
Tomato sauce and cheese or matzoh pizza
Melted chocolate, sugar, butter and nuts called matzoh brittle (my sister-in-law Kim makes this for Passover dessert. It is insanely delicious!!)
Fried matzoh or matzoh brie – crumple up some sheets of matzoh, mix in eggs, some water and then fry it with oil or butter in a pan. I like to top mine with jelly. Brian prefers salt and pepper.

I like matzoh so much now that every Passover, I turn to my husband and say, “why do we always wait for Passover to eat this?” If you’ve never tried matzoh, go out, buy a box and experiment! Happy Passover! ~Missy

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