PASSOVER

5758

Everything You
Always
Wanted To
Know About

(*But Were Afraid To Ask)

H

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSOCIATE EDITOR

ave you been wondering for 40 days and 40

nights about 40 fascinating matzah facts?

Your wondering is over! Here, at last, is a ver-

itable encyclopedia on matzah, with everything

from recipes and games to history and Halachah.

1) What is shmura matzah?
Shmura, or "guarded" matzah, is the most
stringently produced matzah available Flour
used for this matzah is carefully watched (for
signs of fermentation) from the moment the
wheat is harvested to the milling of the grain,
the making and kneading of the dough, and
finally the baking of the matzah.
The second category of matzah is
made from "Passover flour," which is
supervised beginning with the milling
of the wheat. It is this flour which is
used for the majority of matzah.
The final category is ordinary flour,
used only for emergencies.
Some families use
matzah from the second cat-
egory throughout the holi-
day. Some use it only for
meals following the first
two days of Passover, pre-
ferring shmura matzah for
the seders.
Predictably, shmura matzah
(41'
is much more expensive than
any other kind — up to $15 a
box.

2) Is there a delicious matzah
dish for chocolate addicts?
This recipe comes from Benno Levi
of Oak Park, who got it from his moth-
er, Regina Lind Levi of Germany. "It has
been in the family for many years," he said.
Berm was a young boy when he first tast-
ed this tempting concoction. "We used to look
forward to eating it every Pesach," he said.
"We dreamt about it all year long."

15 oz. semisweet chocolate
1/2 pound sweet margarine
1 cup sugar

3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp. instant coffee
18 pieces of matzah

(This recipe makes three cakes. Each cake
uses 6 pieces of matzah).
In a double boiler, combine margarine,
chocolate and sugar until melted. Stir con-
stantly. Add egg yolks to chocolate mixture.
Beat egg whites in separate bowl, then pour
into double boiler, still stirring. Last, add vanil-
la and coffee.
Meanwhile, place one slice of matzah in
square dish. After chocolate has been thor-
oughly mixed, spread on matzah (note: choco-
late will be thick), top with another slice of
matzah, then more chocolate, alternating un-
til one cake (about six matzot) is complete.
Freeze to harden, then refrigerate leftovers.

3) How long does matzah stay in your
stomach?
Believe or not, that matzah really does get
through your system in less than a year. In
fact, Oak Park resident and nutritionist Ja-
nis Roszler reports that matzah generally stays
in your stomach between two and four hours.
The discrepancy is a matter of what you eat
with it; higher-fat foods will keep the matzah
hanging around longer. Mrs. Roszler adds one
more mitigating factor: "If your in-laws are
joining you for a meal," she said, "that matzah
may sit in your stomach forever."

4) Why does matzah have holes?
The hole story is this: Those tiny perfora-
tions allow air bubbles to escape from the
dough, making it cook more quickly and leav-
ing it nice and smooth.

5) Give me s'more.
If you're looking for something fun and dif-