Passover is almost here! The celebration, which officially begins April 12 and lasts through April 20, can be a challenging time for our Jewish-bread lovers. But challah lovers don’t need to worry — there are plenty of easy recipes to keep Kosher during Passover, plus several mindful drinks to make, games to play, and even decor to help celebrate Passover in college.
Passover, also called Pesach, is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. According to the Torah, celebrants are only supposed to eat matzo — a flat, unleavened bread — during these eight days.
Easy Passover Foods
Unleavened bread is an important Passover tradition to honor the Israelites, who could not wait for their bread to rise while fleeing Egypt, and therefore made an unleavened bread known as matzo that’s a staple food in Jewish culture.
In addition to only eating matzo (rather than bagels, a good sandwich loaf, or even pizza crust), Jews observing Passover also do not eat any wheat, barley, rye, spelt, and oats throughout the eight days to honor the Israelites. Despite these diet modifications, though, there are plenty of simple and easy meals that both adhere to tradition and celebrate Jewish culture.
Matzo Farfel
What better way to ring in Passover than with some matzo? While we can’t all have our grandparents homemade matzo ball soup, celebrants can always improvise. Of course, you could always go out and buy a box of matzo farfel, but making it is more fun — especially with this easy 10-minute Matzo Farfel recipe from The Spruce Eats.
Grilled Chicken Cutlets
This one’s for all my apartment college students (or kitchenette dorm-goers). Protein is an important macronutrient, but meat is frequently braised with sauces and dressings that do not adhere to the Passover rules. Personally, I love this recipe for Grilled Chicken Cutlets from Peppermill because not only is it bread-crumb free, it always makes enough for leftovers.
Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Yes, there is a way to enjoy pizza during Passover, and what better way to celebrate than homemade Kosher pizzas with your family and friends? This modified recipe from Netrition makes a personal-sized pie, but feel free to double to make more!
Chocolate-Covered Matzo
You can’t forget dessert, and what’s easier than a two-ingredient chocolate-covered matzo that can be made in a dorm room? Buy some Nestle Toll House chocolate chips, microwave in 30-second increments until melted, and dip your matzo right in!
Drinks for Passover
The Passover rule means that no beer, Bourbon, Scotch, Irish or rye whiskeys will do, but luckily, there are plenty of easy substitutions. Looking for a perfect Manhattan? Simply substitute Cognac for the Bourbon whiskey. Prefer a rum and cola? Since normal Coca-Cola is a no-no because it’s made with corn syrup, try mixing your rum with Mexican Coca Cola (which uses cane sugar, not corn syrup) instead. And, as always, a kosher wine will do.
Since those celebrating Passover are supposed to consume four glasses of wine to symbolize freedom from the four exiles, there is a way to still get those four glasses in with a mocktail — and who doesn’t love a fun mocktail? Jewish Chicago has a super fun and easy sangria mocktail recipe to make, or you can always stick with the classic grape juice.
Passover Games
Passover is a time to spend with family, friends and loved ones. What better way to do that and learn a little bit more about Passover than some quick and easy DIY games?
Hide-and-Seek
Afikomen hide-and-seek is a Passover classic that can easily be played with a piece of hidden matzo that players race to find. I remember playing against my cousins and running around my grandma’s house, trying to be the first to find the paper covered afikomen and win a dollar — a true Passover competition.
Candy Questions
Passover serves as a reminder of the freedom Jews received, and a central theme of the holiday is asking questions. All you need is a big bowl of candy, and when you ask a question about Passover, or the seder experience, you get a piece. It’s an easy game, and a great way to introduce and share the tradition with friends, classmates, or roommates who aren’t Jewish or are unfamiliar with Passover.
Blindfold Matzo Tasting
What better way to enjoy some matzo than putting some different toppings on it? From scrambled eggs to tuna melt the topping ideas are endless. For a twist, blindfold the contestant to make it extra tricky to guess what topping it is.
Heads Up
For all my arts and crafts fans, print out a few photos that symbolize Passover — the most common being Pesach, matzah, maror to symbolize gratitude, hope, and grit. Then, do a little makeshift game of Heads Up and have players act out the word, charades-style.
Passover Decor
Setting the table during Passover includes a few traditions: having the seder plate on the table, three pieces of matzo (separated and covered with a cloth), and the blessing candles. And, while it’s not a requirement, you’ll often see a lot of blue during Jewish holidays because it is the traditional color of Judaism, reminiscent of the ocean and sky.
Nothing will ever top a beautiful place setting, especially for Passover. Pinterest is definitely your friend if you’re looking for some fun (and sometimes even funny) matzo place setting decor ideas. From a matzo flower vase to Manischewitz large letters, the ideas are simply endless.
But always remember, you can’t go wrong with the classics: a pretty flower arrangement and some drops of blue are perfect for this eight-day celebration.