In the story of Exodus, the Bible tells of the ten plagues that would scour the earth if the Pharoah did not release his Hebrew slaves. One of the plagues would come to be known as “Passover.”
During Passover, God would strike dead the firstborn son of every family that did not mark their doors with the blood of a spring lamb. Those homes would be “passed over” and no one within them would be harmed. The Egyptians lost many firstborn sons that day, finally prompting the Pharoah to release the Hebrew slaves.
When the slaves were released, it is said that they left so quickly that the bread they were making was not given time to rise. As a result, the Passover is often called the “Festival of the Unleavened Bread.” Bread without yeast is served on Passover to commemorate the release of the Hebrews from Egypt.
During the Passover, those of Jewish faith often scour their homes to remove any possible trace of leavening, including yeast. The kitchen gets special attention, including the instruments used to cook with and the countertops themselves. Every nook and cranny is meticulously cleaned. Some bread makers use blowtorches in their ovens until the ovens glow a deep red, making certain that any leavening left behind is destroyed.
A type of bread called Matzo is often made during this time. It consists of a bread dough that is worked continuously, which keeps it from rising. The dough is patted thin and dotted with small holes to keep it from rising during baking in the oven. After each batch of matzo is prepared, the kitchen is cleaned again, thus eliminating any chance of leavening touching the new batch.
According to the Bible, Passover takes place during the 1st month, on the evening between the fourteenth day and the next. During that week only unleavened bread should be eaten. The first day is a religious holiday marked by no work, as is the final, or seventh, day. During the time of Passover an offering should be made to God. Some more orthodox Jews keep the Passover holy and do sacrifice an animal during this time, but the more common act is to follow the teachings of no work on the first and last day, and partake in the cleaning and matzo during the week.
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