Matzo from Mexico to Malabar

What is Matzo? And why is it eaten during Passover?

Matzo, an unleavened bread, is an integral feature of the Seder table, the ceremonial dinner eaten on the first night of Passover. It serves as a reminder that the Jews had no time to let their bread rise as they hurried to flee Egypt. During Passover no products made from wheat nor leavened may be eaten with the sole exception of matzo.

Unleavened bread is the only food the children of Israel are actually commanded to eat in the Hebrew Bible. In this sense, matzo is the most Jewish food there is. 

- From The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America

Learn more about Passover in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink In America, and The Oxford Companion to Food.

An international twist on matzo

There are many traditional ways to eat matzo from Matzo Ball Soup to Matzo Brei, but if you’re looking for some new ideas for your seven day feast we recommend you start by making your own at home, then draw some international inspiration from our library.

Mexico – Mexico City home to one of the largest Jewish populations in the world. Try a Jewish favorite of chopped chicken liver and eat it with Mexican sopes, a thick tortilla made with matzo.

India – Enliven that bowl of matzo ball soup with turmeric and cayenne—spices and ingredients common to the coast of Malabar in southwest India.

Hungary – In Hungary matzo becomes part of the dressing for the holiday bird.

Greece – Spinach filling is stuffed between layers of matzo instead of stuffed between the typical filo dough on a twist of Spanekopita.

Get the recipes from our Matzo for Passover collection »

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