View source for Matzah

{{Short description|Unleavened bread used in Jewish cuisine and Passover}}
{{Redirect|Matza}}
{{Infobox food
| name             = Matzah
| image            = Machine-made Shmura Matzo.jpg
| image_size       = 250px
| caption          = Machine-made matzot from Jerusalem
| alternate_name   = Matzo, matza
| place_of_origin          = 
| region           =
| creator          =
| course           =
| type             = [[Flatbread]]
| served           =
| main_ingredient  =
| variations       =
| calories         =
| other            =
}}
[[File:Matzot_René_Neymann_Wasselonne_avril_2014.jpg|thumb|250x250px|Matzah plate with an inscription of the blessing over the matzah]]
[[File:Shmura_Matzo.jpg|right|thumb|250x250px|Handmade Shemurah Matzah]]
[[File:Matzah.jpg|thumb|250x250px|Matzah Shemurah worked with machine for Passover]]

'''Matzah''', '''matzo''', or '''maẓẓah'''<ref>{{cite book|last=Trachtenberg|first=Joshua|author-link=Joshua Trachtenberg|orig-date=Originally published 1939|chapter=Glossary of Hebrew Terms|chapter-url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/jms/jms43.htm|title=Jewish Magic and Superstition|date=13 February 2004 |publication-place=Philadelphia|publisher=[[University of Pennsylvania Press]]|publication-date=2004|page=333|isbn=9780812218626|access-date=Feb 6, 2023|quote=''Maẓẓah''—unleavened bread.}}</ref> ({{langx|he|מַצָּה|translit=maṣṣā}}; {{IPA|he|maˈt͡sa|IPA}}'','' {{plural form}}: '''matzot''' or [[Ashkenazi Hebrew|Ashk.]] '''matzos''') is an [[Unleavened bread|unleavened flatbread]] that is part of [[Jewish cuisine]] and forms an integral element of the [[Passover]] festival, during which ''[[chametz]]'' ([[leavening agent]] and five grains deemed by ''[[halakha]]'' to be self-leavening) is forbidden.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Eating Matza - Jewish Tradition |url=https://yahadut.org/en/shabbat-and-festivals/the-seder/eating-matza/ |access-date=2024-04-04 |website=yahadut.org |language=en}}</ref>

According to the [[Torah]], God commanded the [[Israelites]]<ref>Exodus 12:15</ref> (modernly, [[Jews]] and [[Samaritans]]) to eat only unleavened bread during the seven-day Passover festival. Matzah can be either soft like a [[pita]]<ref name= intime /> or a  crisp variety, widely produced commercially because of its long shelf life. The soft matzah only keeps for a day or so unless frozen; very limited commercial production, only in the period leading up to Passover, is available. Some versions of the crisp type are available all year.

Matzah meal and matzah cake meal is crisp matzah that has been ground. The cake meal has a very fine near flour-like consistency, useful in baking, while the standard matzah meal is somewhat coarser and used in cooking. Matzah meal is used to make matzah balls (kneidles/kneidlach), the principal ingredient of [[Matzah ball|kneydlach soup]] (often translated as "matzah ball soup"). [[Sephardic Jews]] typically cook with matzah itself rather than matzah meal.<ref name=":0" />

Matzah that is [[Kashrut|kosher]] for Passover is limited in [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]] tradition to plain matzah made from flour and water. The flour may be made from [[Whole grain|whole]] or [[Refined grains|refined grain]], but must be made from one of [[Five species of grain|five grains]]: [[wheat]], [[spelt]], [[barley]], [[rye]], or [[oat]]. Some Sephardic communities allow matzah to be made with [[egg]]s or [[fruit]] [[juice]] to be used throughout the holiday, while Ashkenazi Jews do not use such matzah on Passover, except in special circumstances, as for the sick and elderly.<ref name="egg">{{cite web|title=Is Egg Matzah Kosher For Passover? |url=https://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/1163475/jewish/Is-Egg-Matzah-Kosher-For-Passover.htm|first=Menachem|last=Posner|work=Chabad.org|publisher=Lubavitch World Headquarters|access-date=3 April 2018}}</ref>

==Biblical sources==
''Matzah'' is mentioned in the [[Torah]] several times in relation to [[The Exodus]] from [[Egypt]]:
{{Blockquote|That night, they are to eat the meat, roasted in the fire; they are to eat it with ''matzah'' and ''[[maror]]''.|[[Book of Exodus|Exodus]] 12:8|source=}}
{{Blockquote|From the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month until the evening of the twenty-first day, you are to eat ''matzah''.|[[Book of Exodus|Exodus]] 12:18|source=}}
{{Blockquote|You are not to eat any ''[[chametz]]'' with it; for seven days you are to eat with it ''matzah'', the bread of affliction; for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste. Thus you will remember the day you left the land of Egypt as long as you live.|[[Deuteronomy]] 16:3|source=}}
{{Blockquote|For six days you are to eat ''matzah''; on the seventh day there is to be a festive assembly for [[Tetragrammaton|''Hashem'']] your God; do not do any kind of work.|[[Deuteronomy]] 16:8|source=}}

==Religious significance==
There are numerous explanations behind the symbolism of matzah:

* Passover is a commemoration of the exodus from Egypt. The biblical narrative relates that the [[Israelites]] left Egypt in such haste they could not wait for their bread dough to rise; the bread, when baked, was matzah.<ref>{{Bibleverse|Exodus|12:39|HE}}</ref> 

* Matzah symbolizes redemption and freedom, but it is also called ''lechem oni'', "poor man's bread".<ref>{{Bibleverse|Deuteronomy|16:3|HE}}</ref> Thus it serves as a reminder to be humble, and to not forget what life was like in servitude. Also, leaven symbolizes corruption and pride as leaven "puffs up". Eating the "bread of affliction" is both a lesson in humility and an act that enhances the appreciation of freedom.

* The [[Passover sacrifice]] was once required to be eaten together with matzah (and [[maror]]).<ref>{{Bibleverse|Exodus|12:8|HE}}</ref> Since the destruction of the [[Temple in Jerusalem|Temple]] this sacrifice is not offered, but the final matzah eaten at the seder is considered a reminder of the Passover sacrifice.<ref>In the [[Sephardi Jews|Sephardic]] rite,  the third time the matzah is eaten it is preceded with the recitation ''zekher l'korban pesach hane'ekhal al hasova'' ("A remembrance of the Passover offering, eaten while full").</ref> This matzah is called [[afikoman]], and many explain it as a symbol of salvation in the future. The Passover Seder meal is full of symbols of salvation, including the closing line, "[[Next year in Jerusalem]]", but the use of matzah is the oldest symbol of salvation in the Seder.<ref>Bradshaw, Paul F., and Hoffman, Lawrence A. ''Passover and Easter: The Symbolic Structuring of Sacred Seasons''. Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 1999.</ref>

* Ancient Egypt was the first culture to produce leavened bread, and leavened bread was a symbol of Egyptian culture. Thus, the prohibition on eating leaven served as a rejection of ancient Egyptian culture.<ref>[https://forward.com/news/10411/leavened-or-unleavened-a-history/ Leavened or Unleavened: A History]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160417020348/http://www.neot-kedumim.org.il/?CategoryID=268&ArticleID=232 A new look at Hametz, Matza and everything in between]</ref>

* In ancient Israel, the barley harvest took place around Passover, while the wheat harvest took place several weeks later. Thus, poor people would eat barley around Passover (since that was the only food they possessed), while rich people would eat stored-up wheat. Since barley does not ferment well, the food of the poor would typically be unleavened. The requirement for everyone to eat unleavened bread at Passover promotes social equality, by forcing the rich and poor to eat the same kind of food as they celebrate the holiday together.<ref>[https://asif.co.il/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1-5-91.pdf  אלישע אנצ'לוביץ': חירות, שוויון, אחווה]</ref>

==Ingredients==

{{Nutritional value
| note = (Values are for matzo made with [[enriched flour]])
| kJ = 1653
| carbs = 83.70 g
| fat = 1.40 g
| protein = 10.00 g
| water = 4.30 g
| calcium_mg = 13
| iron_mg = 3.16
| phosphorus_mg = 89
| magnesium_mg = 25
| manganese_mg = 0.650
| sodium_mg = 0
| potassium_mg = 112
| zinc_mg = 0.68
| vitA_iu = 0
| thiamin_mg = 0.387
| riboflavin_mg = 0.291
| niacin_mg = 3.892
| pantothenic_mg = 0.443
| vitB6_mg = 0.115
| folate_ug = 17.1
| source_usda = 1
| name = Matzo
}}

At the [[Passover seder]], simple matzah made of flour and water is mandatory for all. The flour must be ground from one of the five grains specified in Jewish law for Passover matzah: wheat, barley, spelt, rye or oat. Ashkenazic, but not Sephardi, tradition, requires that matzah made with the addition of [[wine]], [[fruit juice]], [[onion]], [[garlic]], etc., may not be used during the Passover festival except by the elderly or unwell.<ref>Mishna Brurah 462:1 1</ref><ref name=egg />

Non-Passover matzah is not subject to ritual requirements and may use any kosher ingredients.

=== Gluten-free preparations ===

People who suffer from [[coeliac disease]] cannot safely eat [[cereal]]s containing [[gluten]]; the only one of the permitted five grains (wheat, barley, oat, spelt, and rye) without gluten is oat. However, some authorities have expressed doubt about whether oat is truly one of the five grains, or whether it resulted from a historical mistranslation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.the-daf.com/talmud-conceptual/are-oats-really-one-of-the-5-species-of-grain/|title=Are Oats Really one of the 5 Species of Grain? – When Science and Halakha Collide|last=Linzer|first=Dov|date=20 May 2011|website=The Daily Daf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110630020925/http://www.the-daf.com/talmud-conceptual/are-oats-really-one-of-the-5-species-of-grain/|archive-date=30 June 2011}}</ref> Some manufacturers produce [[gluten-free]] matzah-lookalikes made from [[potato starch]], [[tapioca]], and other non-traditional flour for gluten-intolerant people. However, the [[Orthodox Union]] states that, although unleavened gluten-free products may be eaten on Passover, they do not fulfill the commandment (''[[mitzvah]]'') of eating matzah at the Seder, because matzah {{Em|must}} be made from one of the five grains.<ref>Butnick, Stephanie. "[http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/95982/this-matzo-isnt-a-mitzvah This Matzo Isn't a Mitzvah]."  ''Tablet Magazine.''</ref>

While oat is considered to be one of the five grains and does not itself contain gluten, matzah made from it would be gluten-free only if there were no contamination by gluten-containing grains. From 2013 some matzah manufacturers have produced gluten-free oat matzah certified kosher for Passover.<ref>{{cite news| last=Friedman | first=Gabe | title=Here's the spiel on gluten-free matzah | newspaper=The Times of Israel | date=3 April 2017 | url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/gluten-free-matzah-heres-what-you-should-know/}}</ref> Given the doubts about oats truly being one of the five grains, it has been suggested that matzah could be made from a mixture of 90% rice flour and 10% wheat flour (as rice is deemed so bland that the taste of wheat flour dominates, and thus meets ritual requirements), for those who can handle eating the small amount of wheat in this mixture.<ref name=broyde>{{cite web |author=Rabbi Michael Broyde|author-link=Michael Broyde|title=Oat Matzah | website=Torah Musings | date=9 August 2011 | url=https://www.torahmusings.com/2011/08/oat-matzah/}}</ref> For those who can eat no wheat, eating oat matzah at the Seder is still considered the best option.<ref name=broyde/>
[[File:Soft matzah.jpg|thumb|left|Homemade soft matzah]]

==Preparation==
[[File:Matzo dough roller.jpg|thumb|Matzah dough roller, dated between 1840 and 1860, [[Jewish Musem of Switzerland|Jewish Museum of Switzerland]]]]
[[File:Matzo-forming machine.jpg|thumb|right|Matzah-forming machine, ca. early 20th century (the [[Lviv]] Museum of the History of Religion)]]
[[File:Tool for matzah dough - Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center.jpg|thumb|Matzah dough roller, [[Samarkand]], middle 20th century]]
Matzah dough is quickly mixed and rolled out without an [[Autolysis (biology)#Use|autolyse]] step as used for leavened breads. Most forms are pricked with a fork or a similar tool to keep the finished product from puffing up, and the resulting flat piece of dough is cooked at high temperature until it develops dark spots, then set aside to cool and, if sufficiently thin, to harden to crispness.  Dough is considered to begin the leavening process 18 minutes from the time it gets wet; sooner if eggs, fruit juice, or milk is added to the dough. The entire process of making matzah takes only a few minutes in efficient modern matzah bakeries.

After baking, matzah may be ground into fine, or slightly coarser, crumbs, known as '''matzah meal''', that can be used like flour during the week of Passover when flour can otherwise be used only to make matzah.

==Variations==

There are two major forms of matzah. Prior to the late 18th century, all matzah was soft and relatively thick, but thinner, crisper matzah later became popular in parts of Europe due to its longer shelf life. With the invention of the first matzah-making machine in France in 1839, cracker-like mass-produced matzah became the most common form in Europe and North America and is now ubiquitous in all [[Ashkenazic]] and most [[Sephardic]] communities. [[Yemenite Jews|Yemenite]] and [[Iraqi Jews]] continue to use a form of soft matzah which looks like Greek [[pita]] or like a [[tortilla]]. Soft matzah is made only by hand, and generally with ''shmurah'' flour.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lichtenbaum |first1=Elisa |title=Matzo: 8 Fun Facts |url=https://www.thirteen.org/blog-post/matzo-8-fun-facts/ |website=Thirteen PBS |access-date=2023-04-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Rabi |first1=Meyer g. |title=Soft matzah, The True Tradition of Matzah - Just as G-d Wanted it. |url=https://www.jewishmag.com/164mag/passover_soft_matza/passover_soft_matza.htm |website=The Jewish Magazine |access-date=2023-04-10}}</ref><ref name= intime />

Flavored varieties of matzah are produced commercially, such as [[poppy seed]]- or [[onion]]-flavored. Oat and spelt matzah with kosher certification are produced.  Oat matzah is generally suitable for those who cannot eat gluten.  Whole wheat, bran and organic matzah are also available.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://swordsandploughshares.blogspot.com/2007/04/why-is-this-matzah-different-from-all.html |title=On organic matzah |website= Swordsandploughshares.blogspot.com |access-date=2013-02-19}}</ref> [[Chocolate]]-covered matzah is a favorite among children, although some consider it "enriched matzah" and will not eat it during the Passover holiday. A quite different flat confection of chocolate and nuts that resembles matzah is sometimes called "chocolate matzah".

Mass-produced matzah contains typically 111 [[calories]] per 1-ounce/28g (USDA Nutrient Database), about the same as [[rye]] crispbread.

===Shmurah matzah===
{{main article|Matzah shmura}}
''Shĕmura'' ("guarded") matzah ({{langx|he|מַצָּה שְׁמוּרָה}} ''matsa shĕmura'') is made from grain that has been under special supervision from the time it was harvested to ensure that no [[Chametz#Fermentation|fermentation]] has occurred, and that it is suitable for eating on the first night of Passover. (''Shĕmura'' wheat may be formed into either handmade or machine-made matzah, while non-''shĕmura'' wheat is only used for machine-made matzah. It is possible to hand-bake matzah in ''shĕmura'' style from non-shmurah flour—this is a matter of style, it is not actually in any way ''shĕmura''—but such matzah has rarely been produced since the introduction of machine-made matzah.)

[[Haredi Judaism]] is scrupulous about the supervision of matzah and have the custom of baking their own or at least participating in some stage of the baking process. Rabbi [[Chaim Halberstam]] of [[Sanz]] ruled in the 19th century that machine-made matzah were [[chametz]].<ref>{{cite web|author=חיים בן אריה ליבוש האלברשטאם |url=http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=913&st=&pgnum=77&hilite= |title=See SH"UT Divrei Hayyim Siman 23 |publisher=Hebrewbooks.org |access-date=2013-02-19}}</ref>  According to that opinion, handmade non-''shmurah'' matzah may be used on the eighth day of Passover outside of the Holy Land. However the non-Hasidic Haredi community of Jerusalem follows the custom that machine-made matzah may be used, with preference to the use of ''shĕmurah'' flour, in accordance with the ruling of Rabbi [[Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld]], who ruled that machine-made matzah may be preferable to hand made in some cases. The commentators to the [[Shulchan Aruch|Shulhan `Aruch]] record that it is the custom of some of Diaspora Jewry to be scrupulous in giving [[Dough offering|Hallah]] from the dough used for baking "Matzat Mitzvah" (the shĕmurah matzah eaten during [[Passover]]) to a [[Kohen]] child to eat.<ref>[[Ba'er Hetev]] to [[Yoreh De'ah]] ch. 322 (minor par. 7), [[Shabbatai HaKohen]] to above chapter</ref>

===Egg matzah===
The requirement for eating Matzah at the Seder cannot be fulfilled with "[egg] matza."<ref>{{cite web  |website=CRCweb.org
   |url=https://www.crcweb.org/ask_rav/eggmatzah.php
   |title=Egg Matzah for Pesach - cRc}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/1163475/jewish/Is-Egg-Matzah-Kosher-For-Passover.htm
|title=Is Egg Matzah Kosher For Passover}}</ref> 
[[File:Matza9197.JPG|thumb|Children preparing matzah ([[Ofra]], 2012)]]

"Egg (sometimes ''enriched'') matzah" are matzot usually made with fruit [[juice]], often [[grape]] juice or [[apple]] juice, instead of water, but not necessarily with eggs themselves.  There is a custom among some Ashkenazi Jews not to eat them during Passover, except for the elderly, infirm, or children, who cannot digest plain matzah; these matzot are considered to be kosher for Passover if prepared otherwise properly. The issue of whether egg matzah is allowed for Passover comes down to whether there is a difference between the various liquids that can be used.  Water facilitates a [[Fermentation in food processing|fermentation]] of grain flour specifically into what is defined as chametz, but the question is whether fruit juice, eggs, honey, oil or milk are also deemed to do so within the strict definitions of Jewish laws regarding chametz.

[[File:Matsa yeyən uşaqlar - 1.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Children eating commercially made matzah ([[Azerbaijan]], 2018)]]

The [[Pesachim (Talmud)|''Talmud'', Pesachim 35a]], states that liquid food extracts do not cause flour to leaven the way that water does.  According to this view, flour mixed with other liquids would not need to be treated with the same care as flour mixed with water. The ''[[Tosafot]]'' (commentaries) explain that such liquids only produce a leavening reaction within flour ''if'' they themselves have had water added to them and otherwise the dough they produce is completely permissible for consumption during Passover, whether or not made according to the laws applying to matzot.

As a result, [[Joseph ben Ephraim Karo]], author of the ''[[Shulchan Aruch]]'' or "Code of Jewish Law" ([[Orach Chayim|Orach Chayim 462:4]]) granted blanket permission for the use of any matzah made from non-water-based dough, including egg matzah, on Passover.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.askmoses.com/article.html?h=168&o=2068731 |title=Is Egg Matzah okay for Passover use? |author=Rabbi Shais Taub of Chabad-Lubavitch |author-link=Shais Taub|website=Askmoses.com |access-date=2013-02-19 |archive-date=2007-12-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071208222011/http://www.askmoses.com/article.html?h=168&o=2068731 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Many egg matzah boxes no longer include the message, "Ashkenazi custom is that egg matzah is only allowed for children, elderly and the infirm during Passover." Even amongst those who consider that enriched matzot may not be ''eaten'' during Passover, it is permissible to ''retain'' it in the home.

====Chocolate-covered matzah====
Chocolate-covered matzah<ref>these are chocolate covered egg matzo, not the subsequently originated "chocolate matzo"</ref> was sold in boxes as a standard product, alongside boxes of egg matzah.<ref name=YeaRound>{{cite web
   |url=https://parade.com/842225/pambeth/chocolate-and-candy-covered-matzo-enjoy-all-year-round
   |quote=... was a little girl ... on the shelves 
   |author=Pam Beth  |date=April 14, 2017
   |title=Chocolate and Candy Covered Matzo-Enjoy All Year Round!}}</ref>

The matzah itself is not ''Hamotzi'' (meaning that it is ''[[Borei Minei Mezonot|Mezonot]]'').

== Cooking with matzah ==
{{main|Jewish cuisine#Passover}}
[[File:Matzah balls.JPG|thumb|[[Matzo ball|Matzah ball]]s]]

Matzah may be used whole, broken, chopped ("matzah [[farfel]]"), or finely ground ("matzah meal"); to make numerous matzah-based cooked dishes. These include [[matzo ball|matzah ball]]s, which are traditionally served in chicken soup; [[matzo brei|matzah brei]], a dish of Ashkenazi origin made from matzah soaked in water, mixed with beaten egg, and fried; [[helzel]], poultry neck skin stuffed with matzah meal; [[matzo pizza|matzah pizza]], in which the piece of matzah takes the place of [[pizza]] crust and is topped with melted cheese and sauce;<ref>{{cite book |last1=Deutsch |first1=Jonathan |last2=Saks |first2=Rachel D. |date=2008 |title=Jewish American Food Culture |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9QXqCpmvcRcC&pg=PA98 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |page=98 |isbn=978-0313343209}}</ref> and kosher for Passover cakes and cookies, which are made with matzah meal or a finer variety called "cake meal" that gives them a denser texture than ordinary baked foods made with flour. [[Hasidic Judaism|Hasidic]] Jews do not cook with matzah, believing that mixing it with water may allow leavening;<ref name=intime>{{cite web|url= http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/136591 |title= In Time for the Holiday: What is Matzah? How is it Baked? |website= IsraelNationalNews.com |date= 25 March 2010 |access-date= 2013-02-19| quote= According to Jewish Law, once matzo is baked, it cannot become hametz. However, some Ashkenazim, chiefly in Hassidic communities, do not eat [wetted matzo], for fear that part of the dough was not sufficiently baked and might become hametz when coming in contact with water.}}</ref> this stringency is known as ''[[gebrochts]]''.<ref name=chabad>{{cite web |url= https://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/265990/jewish/Gebrokts-Wetted-Matzah.htm| title= 'Gebrokts': Wetted Matzah| year=2018|access-date=21 March 2018|work=[[Chabad|Chabad.org]]}}</ref> However, Jews who avoid eating ''gebrochts'' will eat cooked matzah dishes on the eighth day of Passover outside the Land of Israel, as the eighth day is of [[Yom tov sheni shel galuyot|rabbinic and not Torah origin]].<ref name=chabad />

Sephardim use matzah soaked in water or stock to make pies or [[lasagne]],<ref name=Goldstein>{{cite book|last1=Goldstein|first1=Joyce|title=Cucina ebraica: flavors of the Italian Jewish kitchen|date=1998|publisher=Chronicle Books|location=San Francisco|isbn=978-0811819695|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/cucinaebraicafla00gold}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| author1 =DrGaellon |title= Scacchi (Passover Lasagna)|url=https://www.food.com/recipe/scacchi-passover-lasagna-365816 |website= Food.com|access-date=26 April 2015}}</ref> known as ''mina'', ''méguena'', ''mayena'' or {{langx|it|scacchi}}.<ref name= Romanow>{{cite web |last1= Romanow| first1= Katherine| title= Eating Jewish: Scacchi (Italian Matzo Pie)| url= https://jwa.org/blog/eating-jewish-scacchi-matzah-pie |website= JWA.org| publisher= Jewish Women's Archive |access-date=26 April 2015}}</ref>

==In Christianity==
[[Communion wafer]]s used by the [[Latin Church|Roman Catholic Church]] as well as in some [[Protestantism|Protestant]] traditions for the [[Eucharist]] are flat, unleavened bread. The main reason for the use of this bread is the belief that, because the [[Last Supper]] was described in the [[Synoptic Gospels]] as a Passover meal, the unleavened matzah bread was used by Jesus when he held it up and said "this is my body". All [[Byzantine Rite]] churches use leavened bread for the Eucharist as this symbolizes the risen Christ.

Some [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental Orthodox]] and [[Eastern Catholic Churches|Eastern Catholic]] Christians use leavened bread, as in the east there is the tradition, based upon the [[gospel of John]], that leavened bread was on the table of the Last Supper. In the [[Armenian Apostolic Church]], the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church]] and [[Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church]], unleavened bread called ''qǝddus qurban'' in [[Ge'ez]], the liturgical language of the Eritreans and Ethiopians, is used for communion.

[[Saint Thomas Christians]] living on the [[Malabar coast]] of [[Kerala]], India have the customary celebration of [[Passover|Pesaha]] in their homes. On the evening before Good Friday, [[Pesaha Appam|Pesaha bread]] is made at home. It is made with unleavened flour and they consume a sweet drink made up of [[coconut milk]] and [[jaggery]] along with this bread. On the Pesaha night, the bread is baked (steamed) immediately after rice flour is mixed with water and they pierce it many times with handle of the spoon to let out steam so that the bread will not rise (this custom is called "juthante kannu kuthal" in the Malayalam language meaning "piercing the bread according to the custom of Jews"). This bread is cut by the head of the family and shared among the family members.<ref>{{cite journal| journal= Journal of Indo Judaic Studies |number= 13| year= 2013 |pages= 57–71| title= [Unknown title] }}</ref>

==World War II==
At the end of [[World War II]], the [[National Jewish Welfare Board]] had a matzah factory (according to the [[American Jewish Historical Society]], it was probably the [[Manischewitz]] matzah factory in [[New Jersey]]) produce matzah in the shape of a large [[V sign|"V" for "Victory"]], for use in the U.S. and military bases overseas by Jewish military personnel for [[Passover seder]]s.<ref>[http://www.ajhs.org/hai/entry.cfm?id=27 American Jewish Historical Society, March 22, 2007 retrieved Oct. 21, 2011] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20070811083827/http://www.ajhs.org/hai/entry.cfm?id=27 |date=August 11, 2007 }}</ref>

==In film==
{{Portal|Food|Judaism}}
''Streit's'' is the story of the last family-owned matzah bakery in America during their final year at their historic New York City factory.<ref>{{Citation |last=Levine |first=Michael |title=Streit's: Matzo and the American Dream |date=2015-04-12 |type=Dokumentarfilm, Familienfilm, Geschichte |url=https://www.imdb.com/de/title/tt4230010/ |access-date=2025-04-07}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Blood libel]], antisemitic canard claiming that matzah is baked with Christian children's blood

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Matzah}}
* Rabbi [[Eliezer Melamed]], [https://ph.yhb.org.il/en/04-12-02/ Shemura Matza] in [[Peninei Halakha]]

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[[Category:Matzo| ]]
[[Category:Jewish cuisine]]
[[Category:Israeli cuisine]]
[[Category:Passover foods]]
[[Category:Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish prayers and blessings]]
[[Category:Positive Mitzvoth]]