Recipes

According to the Jewish calendar, Passover begins on the eve of the 15th day of the month of Nisan. The date may vary from year to year. Passover is an eight days long festival and incorporates the rich traditional Seder family dinner meal for the first two nights. Food is an extremely part of Passover celebrations. Passover recipes must not contain barley, oats, wheat, spelt and rye. These are banned because they fall into the leavened foods category. Though these are banned from Passover recipes, wine is permitted because even though it is fermented it is free from the above mentioned 5 grain types. Passover recipes can include these grains only if they are cooked well before any kind of leaving process starts. Every Passover recipe signifies or represents one or the other event of history. I will now give you brief overview of the various parts of Passover recipes and their significance. 1. Matzoh- It is the most important part of Passover recipes. Three matzohs (unleavened) are kept in a napkin in layers. This is to remind people of the alacrity with which the Israelites had fled from Egypt. The promptness is signified by the fact that they fled even without leaving any time for the dough to rise. Two of these are eaten during the service and the last one called Aftkomen is hidden only to be found later as the prize. 2. Various bitter herbs are also eaten during Passover along with the Passover recipes to remind people of the bitterness of captivity. 3. A mixture of apples, nuts, wine and cinnamon is also consumed along with Passover recipes to remind the masses of the materials used by the Jewish as mortar in the construction of buildings. 4. A roasted egg called Beitzah also forms an important part of the various Passover recipes. It signifies life and his endless existence. 5. A vegetable like parsley or celery is also eaten along with other Passover recipes to represent hope and redemption. It is served with salted water to signify the tears that were shed by the captives then. 6. Roasted lamb's pieces are also eaten which signifies the paschal sacrifice offering. 7. Wine forms an integral part of Passover celebrations and various Passover recipes. Four glasses of wine are drunk during the service to symbolise the four-point promise of redemption. A glass of wine is also put aside for the prophet Elijah.