Passover is a time of remembering/commemoration the Exodus from Egypt. The name of the holiday comes from fact that the angel of death passed over the homes of the Jews in delivering the curse of the first born. God appeared and told the Jewish who were slaves in egypt to slaughter a lamb and use it's blood on their door post so the angel of death would know to "pass over" the homes of the Jews and not kill their first born.
When the Egyptians realized what had happende they told the Jews they could leave....and they left in such a hurry that they didn't allow their bread to rise, so in the thousands of years since then, At Passover unleavened bread has been eaten to remind the faithful that they were once slaves and through God's intervention, now they are free.
The scholars have in those interveining thousands of years decided that flour might rise from the yeast in the air, so it is not used, nor is rice, beans or anything else that might swell and seem to be rising.
Probably more than you wanted to know....
Linda C

Thanks Linda, I knew the New Testament bible stuff...but I just couldn't wrap my head around why no wheat...I also knew about leavening..But now I get the whole "could leaven" by itself..

Thanks!

As in most Jewish laws/traditions, there are multiple reasons given. The most direct is to remember/experience the Exodus from Egypt by eating unleavened bread. There is also a symbolism of purity by not eating leavened bread.

The restriction only applies to the 5 types of grain that can become "chometz": wheat, barley, spelt, rye, and oats - the grains that were traditionally used to make bread in Israel. Those grains can only be eaten if they were baked into matzah within 18 minutes of the flour coming into contact with water.

Once newer grains, like rice and corn, and non-grains that can be made into flour, like legumes (beans including soy beans and peanuts), became part of our diets, there was debate on how to treat these during Passover. These are called "kitniyot" Ashkenazic (Eastern European) Jews also have the custom of not eating these during Passover. Sephardic (Mediterranean) Jews don't have that custom and I have even seen recipes for Sephardic charoset (a ceremonial food eaten during the seder) that use rice. Among Askhenazic Jews, traditions vary about what is included in kitniyot - that discussion can get into way more than you want to know.

Alcohol becomes an issue because it is often made from grains (often chometz, sometimes kitniyot).

Fortunately, everyone agrees that potatoes can be used for Pesach so potatoes and potato starch are one of the things that is used to make Passover baked goods. Also once grains have been cooked into Matzah, the Matzah can be ground into a flour substitute - either more coarse as matzah meal or more fine as matzah cake meal - that can be used to make baked goods. Ground nuts are also used. Usually beaten egg whites or eggs are used to provide the "fluff" in such foods since there isn't leaven.

Quinoa is a grain from South America that wasn't around when people were deciding what was kitniyot. So many people that don't eat kitniyot will eat it.

Because we have a vegetarian in the family and cook vegetarian most of the time, we have been struggling with allowing some or all kitniyot in our house during Passover. Intellectually, I have no problem with it but I'm use to not using it. Also, because most observant Jews in America are Askhenazic, it can be difficult to find Kosher L'Peasah certified foods that include kitniyot here.

Note to the glucose intolerant - some Jews (including Chasidic Jews) don't eat gebrachts: food where matzah meal is mixed with water. Kosher L'Pesach food that says non-gebrachts should be gluten free.

I've never heard of "yeast in the air", but actually once you mix flour with water, it can ferment and that fermented product is what is actually forbidden for the holiday.

From wikipedia: During Passover, the only grain product that can be owned or eaten is one that can be fully cooked within 18 minutes of the moment water and flour are mixedÂi.e. matzoh.

So, they do use flour to make matzo but they mix it with water and bake it in a big ol' hurry. Aside from that matzo made from wheat, we don't eat anything made from the five grains mentioned in the Bible: wheat, barley, spelt, oats and rye.

Beyond that, those of eastern european descent also exclude rice, corn, and some other foods which I can't remember, because I'm of middle eastern descent and we can eat those foods.

The main idea is to remember that our ancestors left Egypt in a huge hurry -- that's what the matzo reminds us of. We also eat other symbolic foods such as a bitter herb, usually horseradish, to remind us that Egypt embittered the lives of the slaves; a green vegetable such as celery or parsley because it's spring; and we dip the green veg in salt water or vinegar to remember the tears shed by the slaves. There's more but you get the idea.

Thanks Ladies for chiming in..So it's all flours..hmmmm...

I never really knew any of this..Thank you, I feel wiser today.. LOL

(yeah thanks for chiming in - I get on a big Passover soap box and start foaming at the mouth)

We went to a wedding during passover a few years ago. The cake was unbelievable. It looked very traditional on the outside. It was so dense and rich. The meal was great too. It was as tho the restrictions had awakened every creative urege in the caterer. It was better than any seder I ever had.
Would this be the kind of diet that would be good for you, Terri?

lowspark, last year I got a box of spelt matzah. It was the first time I'd noticed it. It tastes pretty much like wheat matzah, except a bit more bland.

tache, I personally use any flour but wheat in what I eat. Although, I've switched my family to Organic White flour for everything now. And I make Sol's Chocolate Chip Cookies for them using 2 cups Organic flour and 1/3 c almond meal now..It's hubbies new favorite way.

The chocolate shortcakes I made lastnight were made with a "standard" gluten free blend...that is rice flour, tapioca starch and potato starch.

I was just curious about Passover recipes. The only Jewish friends I have are here online. :o) I grew up with a somewhat close minded Christian mom.. pretty much everyone that didn't "worship" like her church was doing it wrong.

I am very open minded. :o)

cloud-swift,
I've never seen that! But our previous Rabbi used to keep a box of Spelt cereal that someone had given him in his office. I don't think I've ever had spelt in my life!

Spelt Cereal

Here's Manischewitz Spelt Matzo, I've never seen it locally.

lowspark, if you do a lot of bread baking, your kitchen will have ambient yeasts in the air. The more bread baking, the better the bread gets. One of the side effects, I'm told, is that if you have a sourdough starter, no matter if it's from the 1800s San Francisco gold rush or whatever, after you feed it in your kitchen the local yeasts will take over and your sourdough becomes White Cloud, Michigan sourdough or San Antonio Texas sourdough or whatever.

I think I have LOT of yeast in my kitchen, LOL.

Annie

This thread got me to wondering why we only have wheat matzah (and the rare box of spelt matzah but of the 5 grains, spelt is closest to wheat - from what I've read it is a hybrid of wheat and a wild grass).

So I googled and found that Osem has Rye Matzah this year. Amazon had it by the six pack and I was curious enough to order it. These aren't made with only rye, but neither is most rye bread - the ingredients list shows a mix of whole wheat and rye. At 4.5 grams fiber per slice vs. negligible fiber in the usual matzah, these should help avoid a frequent Pesach problem and "let my people go". :^) (Sorry I just couldn't resist.)

I gave a couple of boxes to friends and sent one to Jessy so perhaps she can give another review.

They are very thin matzahs, crispy crunchy, with a whole grain flavor (they don't taste like rye bread - not surprising since some of the typical "rye" flavor comes from caraway seeds). They make a nice change from the white wheat matzah.

There is also a supplier of oat matzah. But that only seems to be made as specialty for those who can't tolerate wheat gluten and are okay with oats (which have a different kind of gluten) so the price is sky-high and I didn't get any.

I didn't succeed in finding any commercially made barley matzah, but I found an interesting article by Deborah Mayaan who makes her own barley matzah.

Here is a link that might be useful: Barley matzah

I tried the rye and the bran matzahs this year. Neither one tasted like either rye or bran but were pleasantly dark and crisp, making them better than the regular stuff. The bran one claims to have 5 gms of fiber - Sorry to report that I have not noticed the expected effect though.

I haven't tried matzah-brie with either one yet.