Maces
What are these round or square pancakes without a strong taste or smell? Among the Jews, they are considered "bread of deliverance," reminiscent of their hasty escape from Egypt, and at the same time bread of tribulation, "referring to their difficult life in this land.
In the Bible, fleeing from Egypt is an important event. The Jews in Egypt lived practically in the position of slaves, and Pharaoh refused to release them because then he would not have enough workers. He released them only after the sending of the ten plagues of Egypt. They did not trust him, so they left the country as quickly as possible. So fast that they did not have time raise their dough to get their bread on the road. That's why they baked only simple pancakes from unleavened dough - the first mats. This event is commemorated by Passover. Interestingly, all sourdough bread must be removed from the household during it.
During the so-called seder dinner held on this holiday, eating mace is more of a ritual than eating, as it is bound by many rules. However, maces are not a single holiday dish, but are widely used in Jewish cuisine. They can be used as Knäckebrot, or be eaten either dry or smeared with anything. Maces can also be ground into flour, from which many dishes can be made, such as dumplings for soup, for which you will find the recipe below.
This dish is not very popular among Jews, but it is valued for its nutritional properties. It does not gain weight as it does after leavened bread, soothes the stomach, helps with digestive problems and is sometimes recommended as a "rescuer" for a hangover.
How is the mace prepared: The main thing is that it must not be fermented during its production. The cooking time must also must not exceed 18 minutes, which starts from the moment the dough is kneaded. However, care must be taken, because if warm water is added to the flour, the dough will start to ferment sooner. Although it seems that the recipe is really simple, handmade maces now cost a lot of money.
Recepie for maces dumplings
Ingredients for 6 portions
3 pcs eggs
3 pinches Grounded ginger
3 pinches Freshly grounded black pepper
3 tablespoons Goose lard
3 pinches Grounded nutmeg
150 g Crushed maces
120 ml Real chicken broth
1 l Homemade chicken broth for cooking dumplings
Preparation process
Break the maces into smaller pieces, crush with a dough roller and place in a bowl. In another bowl, beat the eggs with lard and mix with the crushed maces, which we salt and season with the spices. The mixture must not be too thick - the cooked dumplings would be hard and must not be thin, because the dumplings would disintegrate during cooking. Thicken the mixture by adding maces, dilute with chicken broth to a consistency so that the dumplings can be shaped.
Let the maces mixture stand for 1 hour and then, with wet hands, shape the dumplings slightly larger than walnut, cooking will increase its volume considerably. Cook the dumplings with a gentle boil covered in chicken broth for about 10 minutes. We do not uncover or peek into the pot during cooking.
We put the finished mace dumplings directly into the hot soup, or we serve them separately on a tray and everyone picks them up according to their taste. We can also cook dumplings in salted water, then make them bigger and serve them as a side dish to dishes prepared with sauce. Properly cooked dumplings should be light, fluffy and melting on the tongue. I recommend beginners to first cook one dumpling for the test in the broth.
Seder plate
For a seder dinner, a special plate is used to indicate how the food should be distributed. What food is eaten is based on a biblical story.
1. Roast lamb bone
2. Hard-boiled eggs - roasted
3. Horseradish
4. Onions
5. Charoset - sweet paste from fruits and nuts
6. Parsley
According to scientists, Ramesses II was the pharaoh who refused to release the Jews
How to Make Unleavened Bread
THE TEN PLAGUES OF EGYPT - STORY ONLY IN CZECH
