28 Passover Recipes To Make For Your Seder (2024)

FAQs

What is a good menu for Passover? ›

Traditions among Ashkenazi Jews generally include gefilte fish (poached fish dumplings), matzo ball soup, brisket or roast chicken, potato kugel (somewhat like a casserole) and tzimmes, a stew of carrots and prunes, sometimes including potatoes or sweet potatoes.

It's common to begin the Seder meal with matzo ball soup, gefilte fish and maybe a salad. Some people top their soup with farfel, or crushed matzo. Alongside the main course, there will likely be vegetables as well as matzo recipes like Passover popovers or one of these other Passover side dishes.

The tradition goes back to the 13th century, when custom dictated a prohibition against wheat, barley, oats, rice, rye and spelt, Rabbi Amy Levin said on NPR in 2016.

There are at least five foods that go on the seder plate: shank bone (zeroa), egg (beitzah), bitter herbs (maror), vegetable (karpas) and a sweet paste called haroset. Many seder plates also have room for a sixth, hazeret (another form of the bitter herbs).

Justine Sterling is a New York-based writer and editor specializing in food, wine, and spirits. During Passover, Ashkenazi Jews traditionally stay away from not only leavened foods like bread, namely barley, oats, rye, spelt, and wheat, but also legumes, rice, seeds, and corn.

If the Last Supper was a Passover dinner, held by Jews then as now to commemorate the exodus from Egypt, the meal would have likely included lamb. Scripture provides us with another clue: unleavened bread and wine were also on the menu.

Traditionally, the category of forbidden foods on Passover — known as hametz — was defined as the fermented products of five grains: wheat, spelt, barley, oats and rye.

Think about incorporating shades of blue (which represents freedom) or purple (which represents royalty). Traditional clothing 🧔. If you're part of a traditional Jewish community, you may want to consider wearing traditional clothing, such as a kippah (skullcap) for men or a headscarf for women.

Traditional families may choose a variety of flowers in shades of blue while other families may opt for brighter colors. The flowers are largely symbolic however and the key is to represent the happiness of the occasion. Choose flowers that reflect that joy to the people who are sharing your Passover table.

What to wear to a Seder dinner for a woman? ›

Dressing for Dinner: When attending Seder, dress elegantly and modestly in conservative silhouettes and subdued colors. A knee-length dress with a cardigan or a skirt and blouse for women, and slacks, a button up, and jacket for men are appropriate depending on location.

However, make sure you bring something that is 'Kosher for Passover,'" advises Schweitzer. "There's a difference between just kosher and kosher for Passover. Make sure to avoid offering any gift with yeast or wheat or any food prepared in dishes or with utensils used for unleavened food.

The Torah's Book of Exodus, Chapter 12, offers one description of the instructions for Passover fare: “The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: [Each household] shall eat [lamb] roasted over the fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs” (Jewish Publication Society translation).