Maror - Types of Maror

Types of Maror

The most common vegetables used as bitter herbs are horseradish and romaine lettuce. Romaine lettuce is not initially bitter, but becomes so after the first taste, which is symbolic of the experience of the Jews in Egypt. However, Wilde or Prickly Lettuce (Lactuca serriola), found in Israel, is a bitter vegetable that fits all descriptions of Chazeret in the Talmud. Other suitable vegetables include endive and charchavinah (variously identified as a vine growing around palms, a type of thistle, or a type of acacia), both of which are mentioned explicitly in the Mishna (Pesachim 2:6). Some Sephardic families use green onions or curly parsley. Although many Jews use Khreyn condiment (a mixture of cooked horseradish, beetroot and sugar) the Code of Jewish Law Shulchan Aruch requires that maror be used as is, that is raw, and not cooked or mixed with salt, vinegar, sugar, lemon, or beets