“What’s for lunch, mom?” I always
used to ask during Passover. My mother often responded, “Well, I can make you
matzah pizza.” Every time she said that, I patiently walked into the kitchen to
wash my hands to prepare for lunch. It
did not take very long, so I was quickly served my beloved matzah pizza. After
the first bite, I would often glance at my mother with a feeling of thanks and
happiness. After that, however, I would not look at her again because I was
completely immersed in the savory taste of the delightful matzah pizza
creation. Passover traditions create so many memories that fill my heart every
year. Sometimes, it is my grandfather’s rendition of the Seder (ritual dinner);
sometimes it is the beautifully set table with the symbolic foods proudly
displayed; sometimes it is just having our entire family all together in one
room. But every year one thing always produces memories that highlight the
eight days of Passover: matzah. When I think of Passover, I immediately think
matzah and the creative ways our family prepares matzah. Unlike any other
Jewish food, matzah creates a precious bond in our family during these eight
reflective days. Without exception, creative matzah dishes unify our family
through tradition, love, and enjoyment.
With matzah at the heart of the Passover tradition, one
must know why Jews eat matzah during Passover. According to the Oxford English Dictionary,
matzo (an alternative spelling) is a crisp biscuit or wafer of unleavened bread
that is traditionally eaten by Jews during Passover (OED). In the book of
Exodus, the Jews were slaves in Egypt under the rule of King Pharaoh and had to
flee the land. The Passover Haggadah, the contemporary book used to retell the
story of Passover each year, tells us “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and
the Lord our God took us out from there with a strong hand and with an
outstretched arm. If the Holy One, blessed be He, had not taken our fathers out
of Egypt, then we, our children, and our children’s children would have
remained enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt” (Alpern 1). Embarking on their journey
out of Egypt, the Jews left in such haste that they did not have time to wait
for their bread to rise. Therefore, their bread remained unleavened as they
wandered the desert in search of the Promised Land. Today we call this
unleavened bread matzah, and the significance that matzah brings to our family commemorates
the Jews’ exodus from Egypt.
Many Passover traditions in our family bring back fond childhood
memories for me. Passover begins on the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month of
Nisan and lasts for eight days. Our holiday begins with the retelling of the
Passover story at a festive meal called the Seder (In Hebrew, Seder means order). At the beginning of
the Seder, my grandfather would break a piece of matzah to set aside for the conclusion
of the Seder. At a point in the middle of the Seder, he would hide this piece
of matzah, which is called the afikoman (In Hebrew, afikoman means dessert), for all of the kids to later search for.
Then in his Brooklyn accent he would announce, “Whoever finds the afikoman gets
five dollars and the right to eat the matzah.” All of my cousins and I would
get excited when the five dollars was revealed. We would all look for the
afikoman as if the world depended on it. Pillows were thrown and pieces of
furniture were moved just to find this afikoman. As children, we bonded during
the search for the afikoman. It was just a piece of matzah, but it meant so
much to my cousins and me that we put our heart and soul into winning the
rights to this special matzah. It is the power and importance of matzah that
has brought us together in times of joy.
Matzah is basic to the celebration of Passover. For
eight days, we do not eat leavened bread as we remember the Jewish plight from
slavery to freedom. On the first night of Passover, matzah unites our family in
celebration. But following this night, the absence of bread becomes
challenging, which requires family creativity with matzah dishes. At this
point, my brothers and I often start to complain about foods we are craving
that we cannot eat during Passover. We all usually agree that Passover is very
difficult to keep and try to find loopholes. The complaining itself acts like a
tradition in our family. It is inevitable that the bickering will happen
regardless of how stringent the rules of Passover are. All bread products are
cleared from the house to ensure that we abstain from eating bread. Therefore,
the house is filled with matzah as our main food source for the week. While
matzah is not the only thing we can eat for eight days, it has become
inextricably linked with Passover. Even though our family would have a meat
dish such as brisket or chicken to compliment the matzah dishes, we continued
to complain about matzah and what we could not eat during Passover. We know
that we will probably enjoy most of the creative matzah dishes, but that does
not stop the complaints about keeping Passover. Sometimes, we do not even know
that we are bonding over our displeasure, but these rants about Passover food
have created a special relationship between my brothers and me. When we realize
that we must accept matzah as our main food source for eight days, eating
kosher for Passover becomes easier. Just the thought of matzah brings our
family together during this symbolic holiday.
Typical breakfast foods are prohibited during Passover.
Staples such as waffles, pancakes, and cereals are not kosher for Passover. So
we figure, why not look to matzah? There is a dish called matzah brei that our
whole family eats for breakfast during these eight days. To make matzah brei,
my mother would “take the matzah, soften it with water and mix it with eggs.
Then I would fry it in a pan” (Mintz). My two brothers and I would all enjoy
the matzah brei at the breakfast table. Knowing that many foods were off
limits, this matzah dish brought stability to the house during breakfast time. The
unification brought to the Mintz family during Passover begins early in the day
with a healthy dose of matzah brei.
While matzah would easily unify our
family at breakfast, lunch was more difficult. Since I was in school at lunchtime,
my mother had to make me something kosher for Passover. Usually, it was a matzah
peanut butter and jelly sandwich that ended up in my lunch bag. As I saw most
of my friends with their Wonder bread turkey or bologna sandwiches for lunch, I
felt comfortable with my matzah peanut butter and jelly. Everybody would give
me a peculiar look at my cardboard-looking sandwich, but I came to expect it. The
importance of Passover was often magnified through these experiences because
“our consumption of…matzo…is designed to create a bond between us and our
ancestors” (Soltes 34). The bond I kindled with matzah during lunch was special
because I knew that I was respecting my religion, my family, and my ancestors
by avoiding leavened bread. The consumption of matzah at lunchtime during
Passover often turned into a humbling experience.
Even though eating matzah peanut
butter and jelly with my school friends was a bit alienating, eating matzah pizza
with my family has always been an uplifting and symbolic experience. As my
mother told me, “you and your brothers loved matzah pizza” (Mintz). The
creation was concocted like this: The matzah goes on the bottom and serves as
the bread-like dough for the pizza; my mother would take marinara sauce and
spread it all over the matzah; then she would sprinkle shredded mozzarella
cheese and grated parmesan cheese over the marinara sauce, and put the matzah
pizza in the toaster until the cheese melted. There was great exhilaration in
biting into a hot, cheesy matzah pizza. This has been the Mintz family’s
signature matzah dish during Passover. Of all the known dishes involving matzah,
my mother’s matzah pizza became the household favorite. Matzah pizza is a dish
that is fitting for almost any time of the day. Often times when I was going to
an activity or event during these eight days, my mother would make me matzah
pizza to satisfy my hunger. Matzah pizza, an individual-sized snack, often
became afternoon fare. A kinship with my ancestors was created when matzah
pizza was on the table because of its simplicity, taste, and sentimentality.
The simplicity and taste always satisfied our palette and the sentimentality
grew through our family’s strong relationship with matzah pizza. The direct
bond with this dish has created memories that will last a lifetime not just for
me, but also for my entire family.
Although my mother’s matzah pizza
is the family favorite, her matzah lasagna comes in a close second. Contrary to
matzah pizza, matzah lasagna is a dish that serves the entire family. The idea
is quite similar to traditional lasagna, but we cannot use noodles because it
is a leavened product. Therefore, we substitute noodles with slightly dampened
matzah, which becomes soft and pliable. When done properly, Passover lasagna tastes
just as delicious as mouthwatering Italian lasagna. This dish symbolizes our
love for each other because traditional lasagna is a favorite dish that we
enjoy together throughout the year. Since matzah lasagna is a larger dish
compared to most other matzah dishes, we celebrate and honor our ancestors as a
family through the substitution of matzah. Even though matzah pizza trumps all
other matzah dishes, matzah lasagna is a fantastic dinner entree.
The celebration of Passover and
importance of matzah has been a Jewish tradition for many generations. My
parents have created wonderful memories and bonding experiences in my hometown
of Los Angeles, as well as in Houston, where my grandparents reside. Every year
when we celebrate Passover, no matter which city we are in, matzah is at the
center of attention. When we celebrate Passover and reflect on memories from
prior years, “we celebrate around the [Passover] table eating” (Mintz). We do
not take that notion lightly in the Mintz family because foods such as matzah
have helped define our family through familial camaraderie. Even though matzah
is only prominent in our family for eight days of the year, matzah helps us
cherish the food traditions we have created revolving around Passover. The joy
and love I have for Passover always flows back to the role in which matzah
played at our family celebrations.
The replacement of bread with
matzah forces us to expand ourselves beyond our comfort zone. Even though the
creative matzah dishes stretch the idea of honoring our previously suffering
ancestors in Egypt, matzah has allowed me to experience food in a different way
during these eight days. The Jews from Exodus did not have foods such as
marinara sauce, cheese, and eggs. They only had the bare essentials for many
years on their treacherous journey out of Egypt. However, it is through the
matzah experience that I feel the connection with my Jewish heritage. During
Passover, I experience spiritual growth and become more creative to cope with
the limitations of eating unleavened bread. I intend to continue passing on
these Passover traditions to the next generation. I will expect to hear the
same complaints from my children, but I hope deep down in their hearts that
they will come to appreciate the true meaning of Passover. I want my children
to embrace matzah with affection and respect. Matzah is one of the many symbols
of Passover, but it is of most importance to me because it generates feelings
of thanks, appreciation, and pride in my family.
Matzah Pizza
1-2 pieces of matzah
2-3 tablespoons tomato sauce
3 tablespoons mozzarella cheese
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with foil; spray non-stick spray. Place matzo on foil and spread with tomato
sauce. Sprinkle both cheeses on top of
sauce. Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese
melts.
Passover Lasagna
6 pieces of matzah
1 jar spaghetti/pasta sauce
16 oz. cottage cheese
12-16 oz. grated mozzarella cheese
Garlic powder, basil and oregano to taste
2 large eggs
1 cup skim milk
Grated parmesan cheese
Lightly spray a 9X13 pan.
Wet matzah lightly with water and fit matzah on bottom of pan. Cover matzah with ½ of the spaghetti/pasta
sauce. Layer ½ of the cottage cheese on
top – season to taste with garlic powder, basil and oregano. Place ½ of mozzarella cheese on top. Repeat layers. Beat eggs and milk – pour over all and
sprinkle top with parmesan cheese.
Cover with foil. Bake
at 375 degrees for about ½ hour until bubbly and custard forms. Uncover for last 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes
before cutting.
Matzah Brei
1 piece of matzah
1 egg
Break matzah into a large bowl and pour hot water over
it. After a few minutes, pour water off. Squeeze out as much water as possible and add
egg and mix.
Melt a little butter or margarine in a frying pan and add
mixture. Stir while the eggs are cooking
as you would for scrambled eggs. Cook
until done.
Matzah Pizza
Works Cited Page
Alpern,
Laura Manischewitz. Manischewitz: The
Matzo Family – The Making of an American
Icon. Jersey City: KTAV Publishing House, Inc., 2008. Print.
“Matzo.” Oxford
English Dictionary. N.p., N.d. Web 12 April 2012
Mintz, Janet. Personal Interview. 7 April 2012
Soltes, Ori Z. “The Art of Jewish Food.” Food & Judaism. Leonard J.
Greenspoon, Ronald A. Simpkins, and Gerald Shapiro. Omaha: Creighton University
Press, 2005. 27-65. Print.
