1. What is matzah?
Matzah is an unleavened flatbread that is an integral part of Jewish cuisine and is traditionally eaten during the Passover Seder.
2. Why is matzah eaten on Passover?
In the Book of Exodus, it is written that the Israelites were in a hurry to leave Egypt immediately after granted freedom and they had no time to wait for their dough to rise and turn to leavened bread. When they left in haste, the food they took with them was the unleavened flatbread, matzah. On Passover, Jews remove all grain products from their homes and eat matzah to remember what the Jews ate when they fled Egypt.
3. What is afikomen?
The afikoman is the half of a matzah which is the last thing eaten during the Passover meal and a substitute for the Passover sacrifice. Before retelling the story of the Exodus, the middle piece of three matzahs sitting in the middle of the Seder table is broken into two pieces and the bigger piece is hidden around the house. After the meal ends, the kids at the Seder search the house for the hidden matzah piece before returning it to the table and passing it around for everyone to take a piece to eat. The afikoman is symbolic of the Israelites redemption and liberation from Ancient Egypt.