They fled Egypt, grabbing unbaked loaves from their ovens.<\/p>\n
As they raced through the desert, the searing sun baked the bread into flat, unleavened cakes. Only when they were safe from the Pharaoh, on the other side of a sea that miraculously parted for them, did the Jews finally have time to celebrate their freedom from slavery, eating the hard crackers we call \u201cmatzo.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Passover, my family gathers around the dining room table at my parents\u2019 house and reads about that first, modest Seder, just part of the amazing story of the Exodus.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s one of the last sections of Scripture we read before our own meal is served…a meal much, much better than the one enjoyed by our ancestors. I have my mom to thank for that.<\/p>\n
We eat matzo and other traditional foods to remind us of the difficult life our ancestors endured, but Mom\u2019s cooking also summons memories from not so long ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cTHE FESTIVE MEAL.\u201d In all capital letters. That\u2019s how it appears in my family\u2019s Hagaddahs<\/em>, the prayer books that recount the Passover story and contain the holiday blessings.<\/p>\n Our Hagaddahs<\/em> were published by our Rabbi years ago to help simplify the Passover Seder. Each food on the Seder plate is explained\u2013a green vegetable to symbolize rebirth and renewal, a bitter herb to remind us of the harshness of slavery.<\/p>\n But to some, it wasn\u2019t simple enough. \u201cCan\u2019t we just skip to the meal?\u201d my uncle Mike often joked. I laughed, but I understood. The delicious smells of my mom\u2019s cooking made it hard to wait.<\/p>\n Smudges of sauce, drops of wine blotted onto the pages and crumbs of matzo nestled into the spine of each Hagaddah showed that no one waited until the books were put away to start digging in.<\/p>\n I first learned that Passover food was different when my favorite snack cakes went missing from the cupboard. \u201cThis house can\u2019t have any chametz<\/em>,\u201d Mom explained. Chametz<\/em> meant breads, cakes, anything that was leavened or contained ingredients used to make bread, like corn.<\/p>\n \u201cOur ancestors didn\u2019t have that, so for Passover we don\u2019t either.\u201d Mom even had my sister, Brooke, and me search the house for stray crumbs.<\/p>\n There was still plenty we could eat. The Passover meal was Mom\u2019s masterpiece. Bowls of pickles, chopped liver and gefilte fish adorned the table. She served her matzo ball soup. Cabbage stuffed with sweet and sour meatballs. And the staple of our Passover dinner\u2013Mom\u2019s brisket.<\/p>\n