Low-carb diets are nothing new if you’re Jewish: Every year, for eight days, we give up sandwiches, hamburger buns, even fried chicken — and celebrate it!
During Passover, Jewish people worldwide trade in their bread, pasta, and other leavened foods — those made with yeast or another ingredient that causes the dough to rise — for matzo (sometimes spelled matzah). Matzo looks like an oversize cracker and is typically made of flour and water, although there are also varieties made with egg that taste a bit sweeter. You can also buy matzo meal, the finely ground matzo that is combined with oil and egg to create a kind of kosher dumpling that stars in matzo ball soup (aka “Jewish penicillin”). In all forms, matzo is an important part of Passover rituals, as eating it commemorates the unleavened bread the Israelites ate while fleeing Egypt, according to Chabad.org.
As the Passover story goes, the Israelites were enslaved under the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II’s rule. Under Moses’s guidance, they fled Egypt to seek freedom so quickly that they didn’t have time to allow their bread to rise, leaving them with a dense, unleavened matzo to eat while wandering the desert until arriving at the promised land.
To honor this part of the story, during Passover Jewish people forgo any grain that has been fermented and leavened. That means no bread, rolls, pizza crust, or even breadcrumbs — the only bread-like food that is permitted during the eight days of this holiday is matzo. Matzo flour must be made from one of these grains: wheat, barley, spelt, rye, or oat.
Being Jewish and an observer of the Passover customs myself, I will admit that I have a love-hate relationship with matzo. On one hand, I love the tradition of honoring our ancestors, and I feel nostalgic every time I take my first bite of that crispy unleavened bread. But on the other hand, eating this low-fiber and dense carb for eight days straight can leave a person feeling a bit stopped up in the bathroom department.
Matzo does not top the list of the most nutrient-dense foods out there. A 1 ounce (oz) square of matzo provides 110 calories, 24 grams (g) of carbohydrates (with zero fiber), and 3 g of protein, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). It is free of sodium, added sugars, cholesterol, and fiber, and is void of key micronutrients like calcium, vitamin C, and vitamin A. Plus, the bland taste of matzo leaves a lot to be desired.
But what matzo lacks in nutrition and flavor, it makes up for in versatility. The temporary dietary restrictions imposed during Passover have led to some creative culinary uses, from matzo brei, a scrambled egg dish, to a simple matzo pizza.
I enjoy some matzo-forward dishes every year during this holiday to uphold tradition without resorting to ho-hum matzo topped with butter. Beyond the classics, there are some unique and delicious out-of-the-box ways to use your leftover matzo that are as delicious to eat as they are simple to make. Here are a few anyone can try.
from Ketone Blog https://ketone2013.com/5-matzo-recipes-for-passover/
via Keto News
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