As a religious Jew (though not Hasidic/ultra-Orthodox), I know of another sort of differentiation between leavened and unleavened bread as it pertains to Passover. This distinction is much more stringent, in the sense that flatbreads like pita as well as fully leavened breads are considered totally unfit for consumption during Passover (but just during Passover, as such consumption is 100% fine the rest of the year). The key distinguishing criterion between matzah and regular, non-Passover bread is that matzah cannot be baked for more than 18 minutes from the time it gets wet.
During Passover, only matzah among all the breads is fit for consumption. Matzah has the consistency much more of crackers than of any sorts of actual bread, though once upon a time matzah was a bit thicker and appreciably softer and is still like that among some Middle Eastern-type Jews.
I'm not just talking about matzah vs other breads, but also foods based on matzah meal (and potato starch and so forth) vs those based on regular flour, as well as the dishes, tablecloths, etc. that are in contact with the regular breads, cookies, etc. You could now see how excessively complicated it can get, and how bewilderingly complicated and time consuming it can get to clean kitchens and dining rooms in the week or two before Passover!
Thanks for the added information! I actually experienced my first Passover earlier this year with some friends who are Jewish and we ran through the whole reading and traditions that go with it. It was quite complicated but equally impressive!
Also prior to starting, they apologized for the taste of the matzah but I actually found it to be quite good!
As a religious Jew (though not Hasidic/ultra-Orthodox), I know of another sort of differentiation between leavened and unleavened bread as it pertains to Passover. This distinction is much more stringent, in the sense that flatbreads like pita as well as fully leavened breads are considered totally unfit for consumption during Passover (but just during Passover, as such consumption is 100% fine the rest of the year). The key distinguishing criterion between matzah and regular, non-Passover bread is that matzah cannot be baked for more than 18 minutes from the time it gets wet.
During Passover, only matzah among all the breads is fit for consumption. Matzah has the consistency much more of crackers than of any sorts of actual bread, though once upon a time matzah was a bit thicker and appreciably softer and is still like that among some Middle Eastern-type Jews.
I'm not just talking about matzah vs other breads, but also foods based on matzah meal (and potato starch and so forth) vs those based on regular flour, as well as the dishes, tablecloths, etc. that are in contact with the regular breads, cookies, etc. You could now see how excessively complicated it can get, and how bewilderingly complicated and time consuming it can get to clean kitchens and dining rooms in the week or two before Passover!
Thanks for the added information! I actually experienced my first Passover earlier this year with some friends who are Jewish and we ran through the whole reading and traditions that go with it. It was quite complicated but equally impressive!
Also prior to starting, they apologized for the taste of the matzah but I actually found it to be quite good!