Matzo

Matze (Hebrew מצה, matza, " Matze "; plural מצות, matzah, " Matzen " - even Yiddish מצה, Matze, " Matze "; plural מצות, Matze, " Matzen "), even called " unleavened bread ", is a thin flat bread that is eaten by religious and tradition-bound Jews during the Passover. Matze is made of water and one of the five cereals wheat, rye, barley, oats or spelled without leavening.

In the German- speaking world is also the notation " matzo "; Plural " matzah " in use.

Religious tradition

Matzo is eaten the Israelites to commemorate the legendary exodus from Egypt. According to tradition in the Torah to the Israelites remained at start no time to let acidify the dough for the bread

Production

Order in accordance with the Jewish dietary laws to be kosher for Passover, subject to the production of the Matzen strict rabbinical supervision. Each premature contact of the harvested grain or flour with water or an acidifying agent must be avoided. The baking process, from mixing the flour with water until fully baked matzo may no longer take more than 18 minutes.

Rite

Since during the Passover week not only leavened bread, but nothing else, the " go " could ( for example, pasta, flour, at the Ashkenazim also legumes and rice) is eaten, cakes, casseroles and the like can be made ​​matzo or matzo meal, which is obtained from Matze, baked. Orthodox Jews place the bid of renunciation of " driven " bread so strict in that they use no dishes during the Passover festival, which ever came with a prepared leavened bread in touch. In many Orthodox households there is therefore a special Passover dishes, modest households make do by all the pots, plates and cutlery are ritually cleansed by long boiling.

The commandment to eat matzo, is only for the first night of Passover, the Seder ( the beginning of the 15th Nisan, in the Jewish diaspora two days: 15th and 16th of Nisan ). Only applies to the rest of the week that no chametz, so no leavened bread, may be eaten. At the Seder includes three special Matzen - usually hand- baked and thicker than the usual - on the table: the top matzo symbolizes the kohanim (Temple priests ), the mean and the Levites ( the temple servant) and the lowest eventually Israel, the people of Israel. Each of these three matzah is separated from the others by a cloth. Every Jew is commanded to eat a piece of it.

Besides the usual Matzen, there is the Mazza Shmura ( " guarded matzah "). In the ordinary Matze is taken to ensure that it is not from the moment in which ground the grain and the flour is processed with leavened bread. About the Mazza Shmura is already watched by the harvest. At each stage, from the harvest, until the final stage, in which it is baked, there is a danger that cereal, flour or dough to be leavened, due to excessive heat, humidity or too long kneading.

Earlier generations of Jewish baked special matzoh for the Seder, and indeed by hand in the afternoon of the same day. This Matzen are the so-called matzah mitzvah ( " Matzen Bid "); because they are intended for obeying a commandment, that is, they are eaten at the Seder.

Matzenbrei

Matzenbrei ( מצה ברייט matzah, mash, מצה מטוגנת, matzah metugenet ) is an Ashkenazi dish that is often eaten as a breakfast during Passover.

The preparation and the ingredients can vary; a simple recipe for Matzenbrei is to break the matzo into small pieces and place it in milk or water until they are almost saturated. Add eggs and spices in the resulting mass and bake in a pan with heated butter out. The Matzenbrei can be served with various sweet or savory sauces.