Matzah pizza (sometimes spelled matzoh pizza) is a type of

pizza Pizza (, ) is a dish of Italian origin consisting of a usually round, flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as various types of sausage, anchovies, mushrooms, onions ...

made by baking a piece of

matzo Matzah or matzo ( he, מַצָּה, translit=maṣṣā'','' pl. matzot or Ashk. matzos) is an unleavened flatbread that is part of Jewish cuisine and forms an integral element of the Passover festival, during which '' chametz'' (leaven and ...

that has been topped with sauce and cheese. Because

Jewish law ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Judaism, Jewish religious laws which is derived from the Torah, written and Oral Tora ...

prohibits the consumption of

leavened bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made food ...

during

Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday that celebrates the The Exodus, Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Ancient Egypt, Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew calendar, He ...

, some individuals use matzo as a substitute for traditional pizza crusts during the holiday.

Background

During Passover,

prohibits the consumption of food items that are made with yeast or

leavening agent In cooking, a leavening agent () or raising agent, also called a leaven () or leavener, is any one of a number of substances used in doughs and batters that cause a foaming action (gas bubbles) that lightens and softens the mixture. An alterna ...

s. Given these restrictions, some individuals will make pizza by substituting matzo for traditional pizza crust. However, some food manufacturers now supply traditional pizza crusts that are made with

kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...

-for-Passover ingredients, and some recipes suggest substituting chopped matzo for yeast dough. During Passover, some restaurants will also feature matzo pizza on their menus to substitute for traditional pizza.

Preparation

Matzah pizza is prepared by covering a piece of matzo with sauce and melted

cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...

. It can be eaten as is or baked first. In the latter case, the matzo is first softened in water; alternately, the sauce ingredients are used to soften the matzo. Other traditional pizza toppings may be used in addition to cheese. For example, chef

Spike Mendelsohn Evangelos Spiros "Spike" Mendelsohn (born December 15, 1980) is a Washington, D.C.-based chef and restaurateur best known as the fifth-place finisher of the fourth season of ''Top Chef'', which aired 2008–2009. He is the chef and owner of mul ...

suggests topping matzah pizza with figs and asparagus, peppers and

feta cheese Feta ( el, φέτα, ) is a Greek brined white cheese made from sheep's milk or from a mixture of sheep and goat's milk. It is soft, with small or no holes, a compact touch, few cuts, and no skin. Crumbly with a slightly grainy texture, it is ...

, or cherry tomatoes, olives, and rosemary, while

Martha Stewart Martha Helen Stewart (, ; born August 3, 1941) is an American retail businesswoman, writer, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing pub ...

recommends placing a fried egg on top of a matzah pizza. Other recipes suggest using crushed tomatoes instead of tomato sauce, and some recipes suggest substituting

hummus Hummus (, ; ar, حُمُّص, 'chickpeas'; full Arabic name: ''ḥummuṣ bi-ṭ-ṭaḥīna'' ar, حمص بالطحينة, 'chickpeas with tahini'), also spelled hommus or houmous, is a Middle Eastern dip, spread, or savory dish made fr ...

for the sauce. Some recipes recommend baking the matzo and toppings on a

baking sheet Baking is a method of preparing food that uses dry heat, typically in an oven, but can also be done in hot ashes, or on hot stones. The most common baked item is bread but many other types of foods can be baked. Heat is gradually transferred " ...

, either in a conventional oven or in a microwave oven, while other recipes recommend baking matzah pizza in a

casserole A casserole ( French: diminutive of , from Provençal 'pan') is a normally large deep pan or bowl a casserole is anything in a casserole pan. Hot or cold History Baked dishes have existed for thousands of years. Early casserole recipes ...

pan so that the dish resembles a layered

lasagna Lasagna (, also , also known as lasagne, ) is a type of pasta, possibly one of the oldest types, made of very wide, flat sheets. Either term can also refer to an Italian dish made of stacked layers of lasagna alternating with fillings such as ...

. Vegan recipes suggest utilizing

vegan cheese Vegan cheese is a category of non-dairy, plant-based cheese analogues. Vegan cheeses range from soft fresh cheeses to aged and cultured hard grateable cheeses like plant-based Parmesan. The defining characteristic of vegan cheese is the exclusio ...

or omitting the cheese entirely.

Other uses

Because it has large Italian and Jewish communities, the term is also occasionally used to refer to the town of

Massapequa, New York Massapequa (, ) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. It is considered the anchor community of the Greater Massapequa area. The p ...

References

External links

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Recipe for matzah pizza
{{Jewish cuisine Matzo Flatbread dishes Passover Passover foods Jewish cuisine Jewish baked goods

Background

Preparation

Other uses

See also

References

External links