Noted herb authority Jo Ann Gardner had doubts as to whether horseradish was really the bitter herb for your Seder plate. So she embarked on a quest to find out.
The act of eating in the Jewish tradition is never simply the consumption of food. Food is respected as fuel for sure, but food as a source of physical nourishment cannot be stripped from its other central roles as symbol, ritual object and identity builder. From Eve’s first bite in the Garden of Eden, food has assumed a unique place in our people’s collective meaning making project.
Maror (Bitter Herbs), an animation for Passover by Hanan Harchol, the creator of Jewish Food For Thought: The Animated Series. More at www.JewishFoodForThought.com
Maror (Bitter Herbs), an animation for Passover by Hanan Harchol, the creator of Jewish Food For Thought: The Animated Series. More at www.JewishFoodForThought.com
At first glance one might assume that a Sipping Seder, made up of six potent cocktails inspired by the Seder plate, is simply the grown up equivalent of the primary school’s set’s chocolate Seder — an excuse to over indulge, or a means to induce an alcoholic haze to counter the stress of a family Seder. Or perhaps, the maror and shank bone inspired drinks are simply the latest in the long line of Jewish kitsch.
The Passover seder is Jewish drama. Over the evening, a tale of slavery and liberation, despair and hope, narrow straits and open possibilities unfolds. We experience this drama through food. We lift high the matzah, the bread of affliction, for all to see; we taste the painful maror to remind us of embittered lives and oppressive work; we drink four cups of redemptive wine. Food brings these experiences to life. Through eating, we bring these symbols into our bodies.
Warning, this horseradish is only for the very brave. I highly recommend slipping on a pair of ski goggles before working with the horseradish.