Matzo Matzo Matzo, matzah, or matza ( "matsoh", "matsa"; plural matzot; matzos of Ashkenazi Jewish dialect) is an unleavened flatbread that is part of Jewish cuisine and forms an integral element of the Passover festival, during which "chametz" (leaven and five grains that, per Jewish Law, can be leavened) is forbidden. As the Torah recounts, God commanded the Jews to create this special unleavened bread. During Passover it is eaten as a flat, cracker-like bread or used in dishes as breadcrumbs and in the traditional matzo ball soup. Matzo that is kosher for Passover is limited in Ashkenazi tradition to plain
Matzo on the first night of Passover. ("Shĕmura" wheat may be formed into either handmade or machine-made matzo, while non-"shĕmura" wheat is only used for machine-made matzo. It is possible to hand-bake matzo in "shĕmura" style from non-shmurah flour—this is a matter of style, it is not actually in any way "shĕmura"—but such matzo has rarely been produced since the introduction of machine-made matzo.) Haredi Judaism is scrupulous about the supervision of matzo and have the custom of baking their own or at least participating in some stage of the baking process. Rabbi Haim Halberstam of Sanz ruled that machine-made matzo