In 1989 the Law Committee of the Rabbinical Assembly of Israel issued a responsum to the question Ashkenazi Jews ask every Passover: “Why are we not permitted to eat kitniyot (legumes), while Sephardic Jews are?” The Rabbinical Assembly concluded that this is a “mistaken custom” and that Ashkenazi Jews are permitted to consume kitniyot as well.

The first thing to do in order to get ready for Passover is a deep spring cleaning. It is time to remove all leavened products from the house. There is an ancient ceremony that is performed to check if the house if free of 'chametz' or leavened food: 'Bedikat Chametz' or Checking for Chametz.

When the Ancient Israelites fled Egypt, they had unleavened flatbreads which had been baked in tabuns, or outdoor wood fired mud ovens. They did not have matzah balls. Jews had to wait about 2,500 years, until the Middle Ages, to be introduced to the gastronomic delight of biting into a matzah ball immersed in chicken broth. What seems to be the most quintessential of Jewish foods today, was really quite a late arrival. It has gone from being a dense, filling specialty Passover food to being a light, airy, year round comfort food.

When the Israelites left Egypt more than 3,300 years ago, they were in a bit of a hurry and didn’t wait around for their bread to rise. Observant Jews still commemorate their exodus by skipping the leavening, and during the eight days of Passover, regular flour is not used in food preparation for fear that it may have come into contact with water, thereby activating the rising process. I see baking without flour ground from grains as an opportunity for creativity. In that spirit, here is a historic Jewish recipe that complies with the special rules of Passover.

Ancient Israelite slaves did not build pyramids! They built storehouses for grain and other food. Make your own mud bricks and build an Ancient Egyptian house.

Algeria had an ancient Jewish community, dating to the 1st Century CE. Many Sephardic Jews fled to Algeria from Iberia following the expulsion of the Jews from Spain and Portugal in the 15th Century. These Western Sephardic Jews baked what I think is the most beautiful matzah for Passover.

The son of Rameses II, Pharaoh Merneptah, had the word “Israel” inscribed in hieroglyphics on a Stele, or monument. This 3,228 year old inscription is the oldest mention of the People of Israel ever found. It was discovered in Thebes. It says:

“Canaan is captive with all woe.
Ashkelon is conquered, Gezer seized,
Yanoam made nonexistent;
Israel is laid waste, bare of seed.”

When the Israelites left Egypt more than 3,300 years ago, they were in a bit of a hurry and didn’t wait around for their bread to rise. Observant Jews still commemorate their exodus by skipping the leavening during the eight days of Passover. Regular flour is not used in food preparation for fear that it may have come into contact with water, thereby activating the rising process. I see baking without flour made from grain as an opportunity for creativity. In that spirit, here is an Israeli recipe that complies with the special rules of Passover.

Celebrate the liberation of the Ancient Israelites from slavery by decorating Miriam’s tambourine. Make sure to make some noise during the Seder!

Matzah is also called the bread of affliction. It is a type of flatbread. When the Israelites prepared to flee Egypt, they mixed and baked the dough so quickly that it did not have time to rise.

Claudia Roden was the first author to record Sephardic recipes in a cookbook. They had always been passed orally from mother to daughter before.

Make Your Own Map of the Exodus from Egypt