All About Passover Baking (2024)

FAQs

Who answers the 4 questions asked at the Passover meal? ›

Traditionally recited at the seder by the youngest child present, the Four Questions, or Mah Nishtanah in Hebrew, ask about certain Passover rituals. Each question and its answer is printed below followed by fun videos your family can use to practice the Four Questions--and their answers--with your children.

You might not typically think of baking with potato starch, but it's a traditional flour substitute for Passover. Some people combine it with matzo meal (typically ¾ cup potato starch mixed with ¼ cup matzo cake meal can be substituted for 1 cup of all-purpose flour), while some recipes rely solely on potato starch.

Because of this, any type of leavened bread or bread product is prohibited during Passover. These leavened products, known as chametz, include certain grain-based foods like breads, pasta, pastries, breadcrumbs, crackers, etc. Unleavened bread, aka “matzo,” traditionally takes the place of chametz during Passover.

The Jerusalem Talmud only records three questions; why foods are dipped twice as opposed to once, why matzah is eaten, and why the meat sacrifice eaten is exclusively roasted. (The last question is a reference to the paschal sacrifice which was fire-roasted).

One of the main focal points of the traditional Passover seder is the maggid, the telling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt. This story begins with the youngest person at the seder asking the Four Questions (Mah Nishtanah).

These airy, fluffy, cloud-like cookies are popular on Passover because they are grain-free, making them the perfect kosher treat. These meringues use cream of tartar and for anyone who is weary that this ingredient may not be kosher for Passover, indeed it is!

Depending on what you're making, you can substitute one for the other, but you do need to keep a few things in mind. You want to consider what you are making before substitution one for the other. Matzo meal is best in recipes for matzo balls, kugel, or Pesach rolls, so it's a good idea to stick to the original recipe.

Many Passover recipes call for almond flour or almond meal. Be aware that there is a difference between the two: almond flour is made from blanched (aka peeled) almonds and is finer and fluffier than almond meal, which is made from raw almonds.

Ashkenazi Jews, who are of European descent, have historically avoided rice, beans, corn and other foods like lentils and edamame at Passover. The tradition goes back to the 13th century, when custom dictated a prohibition against wheat, barley, oats, rice, rye and spelt, Rabbi Amy Levin said on NPR in 2016.

Can you eat chocolate on Passover? ›

The world's favorite confection, chocolate, is readily available to kosher consumers as dairy (OU-D), parve (OU) and even for Passover (OU-P).

The laws of kashrut always apply, but not all Jews keep kosher. Non-kosher foods include bacon and shrimp, among many others. Soybeans are also considered kitniyot. For vegetarians who do not eat it, getting through Passover can be difficult without a plant-based protein like tofu.

The Ben Ish Chai (2) explains that we dip twice because the exile into Egypt took seed with a dipping – Joseph's coat into goat's blood to make it appear as though he had been killed (3) – and the freedom from Egypt began with a dipping – a bundle of hyssop branches into the blood of the Pesach offering, to apply it to ...

The eve of the first day of Passover is when the Seder takes place, so you could say that it is the most important day. The whole holiday lasts 7 days in Israel and 8 days outside of Israel. In Israel the first and seventh days are observed strictly with no work while during the middle days work is allowed.

And, it's great theater. The Four Sons: The Haggadah tells of four sons: first, the wise son—the Chacham, then the evil/rebellious son—the Rasha, followed by the simple son—the Tam, and finally, the son who doesn't know to ask. The scene of these four sons plays a pivotal role in the seder.

From the Four Questions to the Four Sons to the Four Cups of Wine, the number four reminds us of the many different aspects of the story of the Exodus and the journey from slavery to freedom.

Singing the Four Questions traditionally falls to the youngest child at the Passover Seder. It's a much loved, and sometimes dreaded, tradition. Jonathan Berman was 3 when he first regaled his extended family with the Four Questions at their Seder, the ritual meal at which Jews each year retell the story of Passover.

Answer: Our Rabbis tell us that the reason that it is the youngest who asks the four questions, is so that he/she will remain an active participant in the Seder, for after all – the main idea of this Seder is “Hagada” - to tell over the story of our heritage to future generations.