Can you Passover the Matzo please?

Throughout the year, all we ever see come and go are holidays. Different holidays often have a typical kind of food that represent that holiday. Examples that come to mind are Corn Beef and Cabbage on St. Patrick's Day, Chocolate on Valentine's Day and Turkeys on Thanksgiving. A particular holiday that is approximating and is strongly represented by its food is Passover. Passover is distinctly represented by the one and only Matzo.

Passover is a holiday that is observed by Samaritans, those with Hebrew roots and those participating in Jewish practices. In the bible it is mentioned that God inflicted ten plagues upon the Egyptians to demonstrate his power. The last plague, #10 was the killing of all the firstborn of each and every family. "The Hebrews were instructed to mark the doorposts of their homes with blood of a spring lamb and, upon seeing this, the spirit of the Lord passed over these homes.."(Wikipedia). From this quote we can determine the origin of the holiday's name, Passover. The holiday is known to be a spring festival which always begins according to the Hebrew calendar on the 14th day of Nisan. This year Passover will begin sunset of March 29th and end on the 7th day, which will be April 6th.

Passover is also known as "The Festival of the Unleavened Bread" because of its traditional Matzo. During the Hebrews' escape from Egypt, they were in such a hurry to leave that they didn't have enough time to wait for the bread to rise. It is because of this that the tradition of eating Matzo is kept throughout the years to remember this important time in history. Although Matzo is "the" representation of Passover, there are other foods that come into the mix during this holiday. Bone of lamb is also on the menu to represent their sacrifice during this turmoil. A hard boiled egg is eaten to represent the "Jews' determination not to abandon their beliefs under oppression by the Egyptians."(BBC). Interestingly some foods are dipped into Saltwater to represent a slave's tears during that time. Green vegetables like lettuce, are eaten to symbolize new life. Charoset which is a paste made of nuts, cinnamons, apples and wine, represents mortar used to build palaces in Egypt. Among other things, four cups of wine are are put out during the dinner to remember the four times God promised freedom to the Israelites.

Even though foods can be tied up to involve part of tradition or history, they are other foods to be eaten during Passover that are just eaten because they are traditional in general and not necessarily because of a "holiday" tradition. Matzo ball soup, which is also known as "peasant soup" is generally eaten. Gefilte fish which is like a fish jelly is eaten with cranberry horseradish on the side. Lastly a dish that I even shared at a Seder once, Brisket. Brisket is a delicious beef dish that is prepared in a tasty sauce. While eating all of these delectable varieties, one can't help but realize that we are taking part in an important tradition that will continue to live on beyond our thought.

It can sometimes seem to be random as to why we eat certain types of food. Food can be a key to history because it is a tradition that is ever living throughout generations. It is a piece of the past that continues to communicate directly to us for it to only keep on living infinitely. Not only are specific foods a symbol for particular things but all together they can tell a story that we reflect upon every year and we continue to teach to others. Whether it's Passover, or Christmas or the 4th of July it is about our culture and how we live by it unconsciously. You may see that special meal that you eat once a year and think of it as "we eat it because that's just how it is" or " we do it because it tells a story about our ancestors". In the end, Food wins.

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(BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/holydays/passover_1.shtml

(Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passover#Spring_cleaning