Passover, or Pesach, is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the Jewish liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt. When the Pharaoh freed the Israelites, it is said that they left in such a hurry that they could not wait for bread dough to rise. So, for the duration of Passover no leavened bread is eaten.
My family is Jewish, and because some of us participate in this tradition of not eating leavened bread, only those dishes are served in our meals during Passover.
It lasts seven days for Jews in Israel, and eight for Jews in the Diaspora, which is everywhere else. Since we live in Argentina, it lasts eight days for us. This year it started on April 19th, and ended on the evening of the 27th.
In the first night of Passover, Jews usually have a special dinner with their families called Seder, where the story of the liberation of Jews from Egypt is told. Jews in the Diaspora also have a Seder on the second night.
Here are some of the dishes, snacks, and desserts that were served in my home this recent week, and are usually eaten during this time of the year by Jews of the world:
Side note: These dishes are mostly common for Ashkenazic Jews, which are diaspora Jews whose ancestry can be traced to Jews that once settled in Central Europe, like my family.
Matzah
Flat unleavened bread. It’s a tradition of the holiday. You can eat it alone, but most agree that it’s better with something else. I like to put butter and salt in it, cream cheese, or chocolate.
More dishes can be made out of matzo, the plural of matzah. We followed some of the many recipes that can be found online and made a chocolate cake, similar to a Chocotorta cake, and pizzas.
In some countries flavored matzo are sold, that have Parmesan cheese, for example. Those kinds aren’t in Argentina yet.
Latkes
Potato latkes, or potato pancakes, made with potato, onion, and egg. They are my personal favorite and I love them when they are crunchy. They are very similar to German Kartoffelpuffer.
Latkes are also eaten in Hannukah, another Jewish festivity.
There are also many dishes that can be made from Matzo meal, grinded matzo:
Kneidlach
They are also called Matzo balls. Made from matzo meal, it’s very common to eat them in a soup. If you’re in New York you can eat a great one at the great Katz Delicatessen in NY.
My family usually eats them with tomato sauce and meat.
Matzo meal latkes
Pancakes made with matzo meal instead of potatoes and onions.
I don’t think these ones are as common as the others.
Matzo meal brownies
There are many recipes of the kind, some disappointing, but some delicious!
As an extra, here’s a dish that isn’t typical, as I don’t know anyone else outside my family that knows about it:
Unlic (or at least that’s how we write it, and how it’s pronounced in Spanish)
We believe Unlic, or however it’s spelled, was the name of whoever invented it in the town of Poland that the parents of my grandmother came from.
It’s really similar to another existing Jewish dish: Kugel, a casserole made with potato. Basically a giant potato latke. The difference with our Unlic is the thickness, and some ingredients that aren’t common in Kugels.
Many of these dishes can be found at Jewish restaurants. You can check out my list of some Jewish Restaurants in Buenos Aires if you’re interested.
Thank you for reading! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask 
Have you ever tried any of these dishes? Let me know in the comments!
