Passover - Traditional Foods

Traditional Foods

Because the house is free of chametz for eight days, the Jewish household typically eats different foods during the week of Passover. These include:

• Matzah brei – Softened matzo fried with egg and fat; served either savory or sweet
• Matzo cereal – Matzo meal boiled in water and often served with milk and butter
• Matzo kugel – A kugel made with matzo instead of noodles
• Charoset – Chopped or ground apples and nuts in wine
• Chrain – Horseradish and beet relish
• Gefilte fish – Poached fish patties or fish balls made from a mixture of ground deboned fish, mostly carp or pike
• Chicken soup with matzah balls (kneydlach) – Chicken soup served with matzo-meal dumplings
• Rice, often with saffron or raisins – Nearly all Sephardi Jews and many Mizrachi Jews consider rice to be an essential food for the Passover table; Ashkenazi Jews and Hasidic Jews do not eat rice during Passover as a matter of minhag. According to the Talmud and the commentary of Rashi, rice is not chametz. However, there is a concern that in storage, rice may have been contaminated with even one kernel of wheat or other grains. Those who eat rice inspect it carefully prior to cooking.