Matzah

Unleavened flatbread made from flour and water, the central ritual food of the Jewish festival of Passover (Pesach), eaten throughout the eight-day holiday in commemoration of the Exodus, when the Israelites left Egypt so hastily that their bread had no time to rise. Strict observance requires removing all leavened products (chametz) from the home before the holiday, and the dry, plain texture of matzah is a deliberate sensory reminder of the hardships of slavery and the urgency of liberation.