What is matza

Jane · April 05, 2007, 04:02:53 PM

Quote from: "Amanda"Some people call chicken fried steak, country fried steak. I think it depends on where you live as to which one you call it.

Crumbed steak, I think we'd call it. It's funny but I thought it was just chicken *flavoured*, not sort of battered / crumbed like that.

We don't really use the word cookie at all, here. We only have biscuits.

Muffins are another food item that doesn't translate well. At home I have muffins for breakfast, and in the US I found muffins set out on a breakfast buffet. Little cake-y things! At breakfast time! How odd. They are morning tea items, here.

:laughing5:

PastMember · April 05, 2007, 04:15:43 PM

I like matza! Didn't know it until freshman year of college (I am not jewish) when they had it in the dining hall for anyone who wanted it. They are especially tasty with peanut butter!

Roxanne · April 05, 2007, 05:18:47 PM

Quote from: "Jane"Muffins are another food item that doesn't translate well. At home I have muffins for breakfast, and in the US I found muffins set out on a breakfast buffet. Little cake-y things! At breakfast time! How odd. They are morning tea items, here.

I love muffins for breakfast, but they are too sugary for me. Although my favorite muffin is blueberry followed very closely by chocolate chip muffins.

I think what you have for breakfast are English Muffins. Circular bread that can be cut in half which is good for making pizzas out of.

PastMember · April 05, 2007, 05:46:38 PM

When I was living in Ireland I never did figure out what a US muffin was called in europe... anyone know?

Eimi · April 05, 2007, 06:51:15 PM

What I thought was really funny (going back to our donut discussion since now that we've brought them up I'm obsessed!) is that my friends from Oz and I went to a local donut shop and I picked up a couple extra and they asked "Is that for a midnight snack?" and I just laughed and said "No, its just for breakfast tomorrow". They looked at me like I had grown two heads. "You eat donuts for BREAKFAST?" And I shrugged and said "Yeah, when else would I eat them?" "But they're a SNACK food!" They just couldn't understand why Americans will eat donuts for breakfast!

That's ok, I can't understand why Japan considers salad a breakfast food. I mean, its not that its a bad idea, but I took offense when my pancakes came to me the other day laying in a puddle of Caesar salad dressing!

Kaysea · April 05, 2007, 08:26:31 PM

Quote from: "emma"Matza - also known in our house as 'cardboard' is traditionally eaten during the 8 days of passover in place of bread. It comes from the fact that when Pharoah allowed the Israelites to leave Egypt, they had to go then - so any bread made did not have time to rise.

The prohibition extends to anything that yeast has to be added to, so no beer, cider etc.

You can find out more
here

Ok, unleavened/mountain or pita bread, as its known here. We eat that as pita wraps - you can get that in just about any sandwich bar/deli over here. I like to use it as pizza bases.

So now I know about matzo... is matzoball soup balls of the stuff in soup?

I have a book called 'The Running Years' by Claire Rayner - a book I absolutely love!!! And have read many many many times over, but have never fully understood everything in it. You may get sick of my questions... but I'll do it through AIM from now on. :o) Have always had an insatiable curiosity, hope you don't mind?

Mazel tov!

emma · April 06, 2007, 12:12:08 AM

I know what you mean Jane - to me, a muffin is a round bready thing that you slice in half and toast.

The other kind is an overgrown chocolate/blueberry/currant bun!

Vix · April 06, 2007, 02:10:36 AM

Matza and pita bread aren't the same -- matza is harder and couldn't be used as a wrap. You're thinking of flatbread.

Kaysea · April 06, 2007, 02:12:09 AM

Quote from: "Vix"Matza and pita bread aren't the same -- matza is harder and couldn't be used as a wrap. You're thinking of flatbread.

Oh,ok, they looked the same in the pictures of the handmade stuff, I just assumed it was the same type of unleavened bread???

PastMember · April 06, 2007, 07:44:31 AM

Quote from: "Eimi"That's ok, I can't understand why Japan considers salad a breakfast food. I mean, its not that its a bad idea, but I took offense when my pancakes came to me the other day laying in a puddle of Caesar salad dressing!

GROSS!! lol What a terrible thing to happen to a pancake! lol

Bree · April 06, 2007, 09:21:09 AM

But pita isn't unleavened! I made some just the other day. Having yeast in it is what makes it POP and have that wonderful pocket! :D

PastMember · April 06, 2007, 10:09:09 AM

Quote from: "Eimi"That's ok, I can't understand why Japan considers salad a breakfast food. I mean, its not that its a bad idea, but I took offense when my pancakes came to me the other day laying in a puddle of Caesar salad dressing!

Yuck! I would be very upset if this happened to my pancakes!

Patrick · April 06, 2007, 12:58:03 PM

Quote from: "Bree"But pita isn't unleavened! I made some just the other day. Having yeast in it is what makes it POP and have that wonderful pocket! :D

How do you make Pita? I didn't know you could make it at home.

Bree · April 06, 2007, 03:33:21 PM

Water, yeast a little salt and a LOT of flour! It's really a simple recipe! The hard part is sitting around and pounding them flat, though the lazy people can roll them, too. ;) Then you have to cook them in a VERY VERY hot oven and they'll pop open and form those nice pockets!

Kaysea · April 06, 2007, 08:30:07 PM

Quote from: "Bree"Water, yeast a little salt and a LOT of flour! It's really a simple recipe! The hard part is sitting around and pounding them flat, though the lazy people can roll them, too. ;) Then you have to cook them in a VERY VERY hot oven and they'll pop open and form those nice pockets!

Oh,ok... you learn something new every day...