Passover around the world: Customs, traditions and dishes

I wanted to write something for the Passover issue this year that was a little different and included some things that we may not have known or heard about before.

I found inspiration in an article, “7 Passover Traditions from Around the World” inTasteofhome.com. Written by Teddy Nykiel, she shares Passover traditions from around the globe. I chose several of these to discuss here.

Traditions

Scallion Smacking, a Passover tradition from Iran and Afghanistan, for Seder participants to hit each other playfully with scallions. This tradition occurs right before singing “Dayenu,” a Passover song that’s sung at Seders around the world. The custom represents the whipping of Jewish slaves under the Pharaoh’s rule in Egypt. I have experienced this tradition in the last several years when I attend a beautiful Seder at a rabbi’s home. We sing Dayenu and “hit” each other with the scallions. It’s fun to do yet has deep significance.

Celebrations

Large Public Seders. “World’s Largest Seder” is discussed in depth in the article, “The World’s Largest Passover Seder is in Nepal” found on matadornetwork.com. Author Eben Diskin writes, “Passover is celebrated around the world. The feast in Kathmandu is so well attended, however, because of the many Israeli backpackers who travel through the country after their required army service from 18 to 21 yet before they attend university….” Later he continues “Community Seders and Jewish influence aren’t just in Nepal’s capital city, either. While the largest takes place in Kathmandu and regularly sees between 1,000 and 1,500 people, a second is held in the city of Pokhara in central Nepal, with a few hundred guests. A third — called the “highest Seder in the world” — is in Manang, a town in the middle of the Himalayas, with around 200 people attending.”

Mimouna is a celebration that originated in Morocco and is post-Passover tradition that usually begins after sundown on the last day of Passover. Friends open their homes and present festive tables with numerous sweets, fresh fruit and dairy, and the first leavened bread eaten after Passover. The signature Mimouna dish is mufleta, freshly made crepes with butter and honey.

Foods

Mufleta I had not heard of these Moroccan crepes before and liked Teddy Nykiel’s explanation that with flour and yeast as the main ingredients, they are easy to make right after Passover ends.

Bimuelos are fried doughnuts originally from Spain. They can made with matzo for dessert. They are often made at Hanukah. See https://littleferrarokitchen.com, for a Sephardic family recipe, for fried pancakes with matzo, eggs and Parmesan cheese dipped in a sweet simple syrup.

Hallaq is the Persian version of haroset, which has additional ingredients to our apple and nuts charoset, including bananas, dates, pistachios and cardamom. There are several recipes in the article “Charosets Around the World” in deliciousisrael.com. Ilana Butrimovitz who shares her grandmother’s Ashkenzi (Eastern European) recipe in this article, writes

“The Talmud says that charoset should be made of the fruits that greeted the Israelites when they came into the land of Israel. Apples, pomegranates, figs, dates, nuts and almonds are all mentioned in the biblical Song of Songs and are often found in charoset varieties.”

Roman Fried Artichokes are a traditional Passover side dish in Rome. My AI research on Perplexity with several references says that carciofi alla giudìa, or Jewish-style fried artichokes, are a traditional dish from Rome’s Jewish community, and are not exclusively a Passover side dish. However, they can be enjoyed during Passover due to the overlap with the artichoke season, and the fact that artichokes are a permissible ingredient during Passover. Carciofi alla giudìa originated in Rome’s Jewish ghetto, where artichokes were one of the few vegetables available to the community.

Matzo pies, or minas, are a classic Sephardic Passover dish from Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries, including Turkey, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Morocco and other northern African countries. They are also served in Bosnia. The dish is believed to have originated in Spain, where Sephardic Jews developed a tradition of making savory pies, including meat pies known as “mina” or “megina”. Made with softened matzo and an egg finish, minas are somewhat similar to matzo brei. However, matzo pies are more structurally akin to lasagna, layered with various fillings. I found great Sephardic matzoh pie recipes in toriavey.com, food52.com and myjewishlearning.com

So given this food for thought you may just want to try one of the dishes or customs here. Chag Pesach Sameach!

PATRICIA RASKIN, owner of Raskin Resources Productions, is an award-winning radio producer, business owner and leader. She has served on the board of directors of Temple Emanu-El, in Providence. Her “Positive Living with Patricia Raskin” podcast can be heard on voiceamerica.com