Passover And Eating Kosher Meals

By Douglas Richardson


Eating out the Jewish way has never been easier especially if one lives in a neighbourhood with a strong Jewish community. Kosher meals are to be had as a take out or just sitting down and enjoying favourite specialities in this type of cuisine. Over Passover, Jews the world over partake of meals such as chicken soup with kneidlach amongst many others.

Passover falls in the month of Nisan in the Jewish Calendar. Just by searching the World Wide Web, one can get an idea of what is eaten during this time. These custom foods go back centuries and have recipes have been passed down from mother to daughter and so on. Passover is celebrated to commemorate the Exodus from Egypt many years ago and falls in the month of Spring in the northern hemisphere and autumn in the southern hemisphere.

It is the story well known among Jews as the time when the Israelites were liberated from Egyptian slavery under the guidance of Moses. It is alluded to in a book known as the Haggadah which is read at the Seder table on the first two nights of this festival for Jews outside of Israel and one night should one live in Israel itself. It is the story of the plagues that were wrought by G-d on the Egyptians right up until the giving of the Five Books of Moses at Mount Sinai.

Here it is believed that the Bible was communicated from the word of G-d to the prophet Moses whereby it was written down into the Five Books of Moses that has been handed down through the centuries and is read and studied until this day. To commemorate this time, many different meals are partaken of that symbolizes the food of this time. For one, matzah or unleavened bread is eaten throughout this festival.

Because the Israelites had to leave Egypt in a hurry, the bread that they were baking for the journey did not have time to rise. Thus it is eaten during this time to commemorate just that and no other risen bread is allowed to be consumed. This unleavened bread must be baked by Jews alone in order to render it kosher.

Other foods are also consumed during this time and one of them is called Haroseth. It is a mixture of almonds, apple and wine. This symbolizes the bricks and mortar that was worked with whilst building the many different constructions the Israelites were forced to build during their time in slavery. It is also made into a sandwich on the eve of Passover and a blessing is said over it in order to remember this time.

Then there are other kosher delicacies that are consumed for example, gefilte fish with chrain. Chrain is essential horseradish that is coloured red with the juice of beetroot and signifies the hard times they had to endure whilst in the land of Egypt. Gefilte fish is essentially a fish ball of minced fish which is also consumed and is a favourite amongst kosher partakers.

It is a time of rejoicing and it is celebrated as a time of freedom by many. Apart from this the story alludes to the entire story of the Exodus from Egypt and also makes mention of the victory G-d had over the Egyptians at the Red Sea where it parted and the Israelites were allowed to pass unscathed as opposed to the Egyptian army that perished there. It is a time to celebrate and eat well.




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