A friend of mine recently married a Jewish guy, so I'll be attending my first Passover Seder tonight! My best wishes for a happy and peaceful Passover!

I'm not sure what a Passover Seder is....but I hope that you enjoy it.....

A Seder is a Passover Meal.

That is interesting. What is generally served at a Passover Meal? Can it be whatever you choose or is there normally a tradition? Just curious.

Briscuit
Gefilte Fish
Matzo Ball Soup
And other normal stuff like jello molds, veggies, salads, etc.

The seder can range from hours to a very abbreviated format that takes 10-15 minutes. The kids get involved with the youngest reading the traditional questions and also the kids get to find the hidden piece of Matzo and they get gelt (money) when they find it. For many of us who were raised very non-religiously, it is more of an event for family to get together to share a meal and be together. There is also a plate that has a number of items on it that all represent something (Please don't aks me what - read instead) seder plate

Thanks.....That was very interesting....

Thanks Z, I will do exactly that!!

A Passover Seder was the meal that most Christians now refer to as the Last Supper. The meal hasn't changed for several thousand years.

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Briscuit
Gefilte Fish
Matzo Ball Soup
And other normal stuff like jello molds, veggies, salads, etc.

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Cub Dave - sounds like an Ashkenazi meal.

A Sephardic Passover Meal will have for the ceremonial portion:

Bitter Herbs (such as chives or leeks or scallions symbolizing the bitterness of slavery)

Celery with salt water (Spring/new life combined with the tears of slavery)

Roasted Egg in some households (Also sybolizes new life)

Charoset (a paste made with dried fruits, nuts and spices it symbolizes the motar used by the Israelite slaves in Egypt.)

Matzo (a reminder of the hasty preparation for fleeing slavery)

The dinner usually consists of roasted potatoes, beef or lamb, and other foods of Middle Eastern influence.

What I remember most about the first Seder dinner was the drinking of the Kosher wine after each ceremonial food, and a few more sips through the entire ceremony which recalls the story of Passover and can take quite a long time. Well an empty stomach with just some Matzo, celery, and Kosher wine can get one a bit tipsy!

The whole time I was growing up, I never realized that there is a HUGE cultural difference between Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews.

Passover Customs

One other comment to make - don't show up with ANYTHING that has levening agent or dairy in it!

If you are having a completely vegetarian Passover dinner,then cottage cheese would be okay. However, if the dinner has any meat in it, then you cannot have any dairy products.

Kosher dietary laws forbid the consumption of any dairy product within a certain amount of time (which I cannot recall at this moment) after eating meat (and vice-versa.)