Making Matzah

Passover 2020 / 5780 has come and gone. And, like everything else right now, it was strange, unique, and hopefully not to be repeated in the same way anytime soon. It is not like I had big plans for the holiday, but I did expect to be able to buy a box of matzah in Berlin, where we were supposed to be from April 2-8. Of course. we had to cancel the trip.

Two years ago, we were in Paris when Passover began, and I picked up a box of matzah there. We also attended a communal Seder. When the holiday ended, I wrapped up half of that matzah tightly in plastic wrap to save it for the following year. And, although it was somewhat stale, there is not much difference between fresh matzah and stale matzah. Eating that year-old matzah was my way of celebrating Passover in 2019.

When I realized we would not be traveling to Germany, or anywhere else where I might find matzah, I began to contemplate a Passover without matzah. Although the past few Passovers have been hit or miss, after a lifetime of family celebrations in the Torem family home, not having even a single piece of matzah was disconcerting. So, what is a “lonely Jew” in San Sebastian to do during a global pandemic? Make your own matzah, of course!

I have all the required tools and ingredients: a rolling pin, an oven, flour, and water. I figured, why not? Desperate times call for desperate measures. I looked online for a recipe, and it was simple enough. You can even ensure your matzah is truly kosher for Passover if you get the dough in the oven within the time specified by halacha (Jewish law).

So, the day before the first Seder, I made matzah – with Jeff’s assistance. It turns out that making matzah is not difficult, but it sure is messy. You need to keep your rolling pin and rolling surface well-floured, and damn if the dough didn’t keep sticking to them!

The recipe I used makes eight pieces of matzah. I think we got four of them into the oven within the official time limit. (We used a timer only to see how hard it would be to comply.) My matzah pieces were not exactly a uniform shape, as I was not too adept with the rolling pin. But the ultimate product did come out looking like matzah and even tasting like matzah. So, we considered it to be a moderate success, although not a process we are looking to replicate.

The matzah tasted best fresh out of the oven. By Seder time it had already deteriorated in taste by a lot.

Oddly, I participated in three Seders – our own “mini-Seder” (with minimal observances); then I participated by Zoom with my cousins in Toronto starting around 2:15 a.m. here; and then I switched over to my dear friends Lauren & Jeff’s Seder in Orange County, CA (also via Zoom). I begged off at around 5 a.m. and went back to bed. Thus, I did more this year for Passover than I had last year!

May we all be together with our families and friends again soon – certainly before Passover 2021!

Stay safe, sane, and healthy,

Shana & Jeff