Bread, Foraging, Matzah, & Toxicity Avoidance 

Aromatic herbs & pungent spices (Today – sold in bulk -and- used in quantity As Ingredients) were traditional Medicinals – taken modestly sparingly minimally; thus not inducing strange Visceral-Mental-Emotional drug-overdose symptoms → unique post-modern ailments – from chronic excessive ‘seasoning’ consumption. Behold: long before our ‘Age of Abundance’ – Edibles had Measured minimums & Seasonal maximums; were mindfully Anticipated, and respectfully Acknowledged. Likewise, eating a Biblical olive’s bulk gives sufficient mental/emotional [not visceral] Satisfaction to anticipate NOT dying of hunger before the next meal; shockingly proven by Shoah ‘Death Factory Slaves’ surviving horrific Starvation – amidst psychotic Brutality & ‘institutional’ Anti-Hygiene Epidemics. 

More ‘Gastronomic’ Calibration reminders: 

Historically, our Challah ‘ritual’ had strictly practical aspects. Today’s ‘most popular’ Workshops & Classes (For Women) elaborate & glorify Ritual appreciation (spiritual benefits) of ‘minimal’ sample separation from a large mass of bread dough; notwithstanding Private Discussions (of resonant emotional importance) permeating these feminine forums for Torah Enlightenment via Mitzvah Actualization. [Merging here with https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/physical-judaism-appreciated-introduction/]

Facts: Freeze dried yeast was invented ~1940s and first commercialized ~1970s; while developing compressed yeast only started about 100 years earlier. Thousands of years ago (Early Bronze Age), Yeasts (micro-organisms) were unknowingly used in bread & beer making; sometimes by adapting ‘barm’ from beer brewing or young wine. Quality & flavor were inconsistent; thus – just like luxury cheese-makers, skillful artisans introduced trace-amounts of quasi-edible molds – into slowly fermenting doughs – to enhance taste-spectrum complexity & distinctiveness. 

Following pragmatic Risk Avoidance (Halacha) → our Yeasting Grain Technologies protocol includes: carefully saving dough-separation ‘challah’ for presentation to any Traveling Ultra-sensitive Human ‘Laboratory’ (cohen); for his certification: as -either- ‘healthy’ – thus the traditional head matron is maintaining a superior level of domestic hygiene -or- ‘somewhat toxic’ – thus the worthy local establishment deserves a NEW sourdough starter – along with Kashering their (typically wooden) Kneading Trough (by rigorous cleaning, a non-use interval, scalding with boiling water – followed by adequate drying & resanding) ⇒ Albeit Preferably & Happily by acquiring a New vessel. (Artisan ‘yeast-starter’ details in my Haggadah ‘fragment’ https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/not-four-questions/)

INSIGHT: Dr. Joseph D. Levinson A”H explained, elaborated, enlightened in The Celebration of Bread – A Commentary on the Passover Haggadah → …of course everyone bakes/baked ONE loaf of fresh bread every day (Exactly enough for their family), except TWO ‘extra’ special-loaves are baked on Friday (To Honor Shabbat), and THREE awe inspiring matzot are baked for Seder Pesach → thus, every guest, upon seeing the 2-Shabbat-loaves or 3-matzot, understands: tonight ⇒ there is no limit upon modest feasting -THEN- after post-Shabbat Havdalah, we consume what remnants of those special-loaves at Melaveh Malkah’s mini-meal -WHILE- after Pesach, we begin ‘a new’ sourdough yeast-starter culture for our daily breads – therewith – being Renewed every year – just as we began Rebirthing (as a New Nation) upon our First Pesach Seder > in Mitzraim > where Pharaoh’s Ministers of Wine and of Bread were only concerned with His Visceral-Mental-Emotional ‘health’ – using assorted drug laden wines and bizarrely fermented breads – to keep Him ‘balanced’ – on ever-present risk of prison & execution IF failing to keep Him ‘intrinsically’ happy; While we are now Free -and- modesty Happier with our portion than any Pharaoh ever was! 

Recall: Beyond experiencing OUR Epic ongoing (annual) Haggadah psychodrama, ONE way to appreciate Pesach’s Seder is: thinking back to how Life felt thousands of years ago – (try hard) – We only have to remember stories heard (when We were very young) – how older people described retold-remembered-experienced Struggles for basic sustenance. Imagine (if you can) life Before freeze-dried, frozen, refrigerated, or canned foods; Before restaurants, takeaway, and instant-orders (speedily delivery): WITHOUT supermarkets, there was fresh produce, dried foods (grains, legumes, fruits, spices), wine, oil, vinegar, and occasional poultry or fish or even meat. Food storage withdrawals were Very Consciously Managed > reasoning > if pantry, root-cellar, produce vault, and silo were empty: the family would starve → SO: food scarcity, nutritional sufficiency, and Portion Rationing were Constantly being evaluated & re-considered…

Furthermore, KNOW: early-Spring’s naturally-sprouting ‘herbs’ (even including early stage roots) are not sweet. These ‘weeds’ generally become more bitter IF ‘harvested’ later. Of course, Leaves of wild plants (listed below) & Leaves of cultivated vegetables (such as beets, chard, mustard, collard, turnip, kale, etc.) are blanched, or stewed, or stir fried. Nevertheless, during scarcity, even late-season bitter greens & roots are cooked -or- quick-pickled in vinegar (to neutralize some bitterness) -or- ground into a condiment (like horseradish-root ‘cHrain’ – ‘often Diluted’ with ground raw beet-root). 

Traditional using cHrain as Mor’Or apparently arose during our ‘sojourning’ in Eastern Europe, where early spring sprouting anything was unavailable → since freezing night temperatures and sparse sunlight hours kept the ground dormant. Thus, following Visceral understanding: ‘early spring greens’ are bitter; our slavery was bitter -and- cHrain was often The Only bitter Item to be had for Mor’Or.

Antiquity: Earliest agricultural practices were built upon primordial & ancient foraging traditions; THUS – consistent with sugarless millennia – we should reDefine ‘Bitter’. Easily found, (Mishnah identifies) Eretz Yisroel native Mor’Or as wild-growing: lettuce, endive/chicory, sowthistle, and a few others (of now uncertain identity). Of course, many different Wild Spring Greens are growing all around wherever You live; and having studied native vegetations (commonly found there-around) – AS A GOOD PARENT – You Regularly collect lots with Your kids ⇒ as You are teaching them which wild plants (maybe mushrooms or medicinal plants too) are edible, when best harvested, & how to: store (dry, pickle, preserve, or process), prepare, cook, and eat. 

(וְשִׁנַּנְתָּ֣ם  לְבָנֶ֔יךָ)

To Educate Your-Sons with Debate & Discussion – albeit also –

(וְדִבַּרְתָּ֖  בָּ֑ם)

To Imbue Them with visceral Appreciation & Love of MITZVOT

In early Spring, Israel’s Majestic-Nature Pantry is FREE for abundant Picking ⇒ THUS → THE original Pesach Seder menu was [Wine with] ‘Korech’ (Hillel’s sandwich): Many small Matzah Mor’Or canapés with small bowls of cooked foraged delicacies (YES gebrokts!) >> plus a kazayit of (basic) BBQ Lamb for Desert!

***CRITICAL NOTICE*** 

This is NOT ‘our’ contemporary halachic requirement → However, an implied Korech-paradigm suggests sufficient variety to be Pesach’s Seder Meal. ⇒ ‘Apparently’ a longstanding tradition of Jews in Yemen; albeit in addition to their various foragings were numerous recipes: incorporating eggs and/or ‘non-vegetarian’ ingredients. …Necessitated during a distant generation & some more recent ones, My Ancestral (Mediterranean to SubArctic ‘migrating’) Family’s circumstances added a ‘Pesach Soup’ custom: (WHY) More than once – during this most recent Long & Harsh Galut (exile from Our Indigenous Territory) – We were bordering on starvation – yet We somehow found enough to make a Seder Plate – Then, the solitary roasted egg together with sparse spring onions [& any(?) ‘foraged’ early-sprouting spring-greens] were coarsely chopped, and stirred into diluted salt water; Becoming a cold soup: Our entire ‘Festive Meal’!

Among many wild Early-Spring greens historically foraged around Jerusalem were/are: Common Mallow (Khubeiza) – Malva nicaeensis / M. sylvestris; Tumble Thistle (Akoub) – Gundelia tournefortii; Wild Asparagus – Asparagus aphyllus; Wild Mustard – Sinapis alba / S. arvensis; Dwarf Chicory – Cichorium endivia (Pumilum); Persian Cyclamen – Cyclamen persicum; Watercress (Jarjeer) – Nasturtium officinale; Wild Chard / White Beet – Beta vulgaris; Shepherd’s Purse – Capsella bursa-pastoris; Field Eryngo – Eryngium creticum; White Wall-Rocket – Diplotaxis erucoides; trigose Bugloss – Anchusa strigosa; Wild Garlic / Naples Garlic – Allium neapolitanum; Wild Fennel – Foeniculum vulgare; Wild Pea – Pisum fulvum; Nodding Wood-Sorrel – Oxalis pes-caprae; Stinging Nettle – Urtica urens; Syrian Thistle – Notobasis syriaca; Wild Coriander – Coriandrum sativum; Common Henbit – Lamium amplexicaule – local bamboo sprouts. IMPORTANT: avoiding areas sprayed with pesticides, Foraging requires proper identification, as some edible plants resemble poisonous look-alikes; SEVERAL wild plants are protected by law; -and- ALL ‘harvesting’ must be done sustainably.

Culinary Secrets: With many types of ‘bitter herbs’ (meaning Wild early-spring greens – their shoots, buds, flowers, leaves, stems, and/or roots) comes endlessly different kinds of Karpas & Mor’Or (combinations) – specially prepared & served → IF tender, THEN raw, blanched, steamed, or poached; ELSE boiled, sauteed, fried, baked, or even roasted! Traditionally, many nutrient-rich (fruit or honey sweetened) Pesach Delicacies are Uniquely safeguarded Family-foraging Recipes. Yet, beyond assortments of small (made yourself – at the table) ‘Korech’ Matzah-Sandwiches, are 

> Search on each term! Get the recipe (if necessary – specifying Jewish-or-Pesach version)! Translate as appropriate! –-afterwards– For POST-Pesach inspiration, Peruse stories & abstract recipes in e-book: Real&Ideal Foods – (at least) 7 Recipes for Over 1 million Variations! <

(חרוסת), Emerald SALADS (kosambari & misticanza al limone), Simmering Verdant STEWS (matbucha & mina de acelga & خبّيزة & 水菜と筍の煮物), Dark-Olive POTTAGE (taktouka & zaalouk & የሀበሻ ጎመን & هندبة بالزيت), Sweet Combo-DIPS (צימעס & טייגענטאַך & አዋዜ), and Spicy Condiments too (chutney & amba & סחוג ירוק & סחוג אדום & በርበሬ & סחוג חום & ሚጥሚጣ).

NOTE: “GaOwn HaDoor” Aharon Chaim HaLevi Zimmerman A”H wrote about our soon becoming vegetarians – since we have lost our ability-sensitivity to elevate sparks-essence in our foods; which I understand to mean: a person who eats in minimalist measures “to satisfaction” feels different changes in Mental Awareness & Physical Vitality → according to the distinctive composition of each food & drink ⇒ but since we gorge, binge, feast, and ‘snack’ in massive/excessive amounts (even combining contradictory herbs & spices) → of course we <men & maybe women too> have become physiologically unconscious of our own Body Awareness & Mental Clarity.

Now, after appreciating OUR intelligent sensitivities to yeasting ‘bioreactor’ sourdough toxicity risks -and- by understanding how OUR ordinary traditional knowledge of local plants includes Differentiating Between seasonal produce, storage worthy edibles, and medicinals, perhaps a paltry Few Comments regarding omnipresent aspects-&-antecedents of ‘non-vegetarian’ Kashrut: by Appreciating vast indeterminate complexities of our mind-&-body interactions with foods-&-drinks; both almost instantaneous reactions -and- cellular integration latency… >from earliest gestation to geriatric mental lucidity< Obviously ⇒ 

(A) NOT Kosher: ALL omnivores & scavengers accumulate Human-Digestive and/or Metabolic-Toxic detrimental bio-fragments.{Kosher species of locusts presumably are ‘substantially’ vegetarian.}

(B) For ‘Acceptable’ HEALTHY birds & mammals, well honed procedures include instantaneous slaughter (which is animal painless -and- human ‘agent’ minimally traumatic), thereafter required extracting or nullifying incomplete metabolic wastes (which are inseparable from internal blood) – including ‘substantially’ de-veining, and shortly thereafter (otherwise periodically rinsing off until) Salting and/or Roasting [whereas chemical ‘deactivation’ with/in(?) Vinegar was once acceptable – albeit now insufficiently understood]. {Presumably blood – from acceptable species of edible-kosher fish – is somewhat equivalent to surrounding waters -after- instantly discharging most of their Metabolic Byproducts via aqueous-active gills; whereas kosher birds & mammals ‘relatively’ discharge a lesser majority when exhaling.}

(C) Kashrut Regulation also clearly define processing factors enhancing shelf-life of meat/bones – which otherwise almost instantly putrefy (definitely inducing unhealthy side-effects – upon human consumption). {This putrefaction intolerant standard was perfected for harsh Hot Desert environments; and has been slightly relaxed by today’s ‘ordinary’ mechanical refrigeration, and artificial means for longer term frozen storage.}

Sobering Observation: Human flesh tastes just like sweetened pork ⇒ according to a PhD Biochemist, MD, board certified Pathologist. Conclusion: We have NO cannibal instincts! 

Furthermore, just as we learned in Mitzraim about toxic pathology contamination risks within ongoing ‘bioreactor’ sourdough starters -and- from ‘non-vegitarian’ Edibles → we continued developing & appreciating our own ‘Best Life Practices Advice’ (HALACHA) regarding Pesach (ALSO! captured & codified in G?D? Given Torat Moshe text – for our B”H eternal generation-to-generation actualization & inspiration) ⇒ observing Mitzraim’s perversions, fetishes, depravity regarding all sentient manifestations – Halacha also appreciated practicalities regarding Three toxic kinds of ‘Ancient Leprosy’ (Biblical): 

(1) upon BUILDINGs of mixed stone & clay – with sometimes inconsistent additives of lime or soda-ash – wherein small amounts of included organic matter (animals parts & dung) anaerobically ferment until bioreaction erupts upon the edifice’s surface – even when plastered over; 

(2) upon FABRICs of vegetable (flax) or animal (wool) fibers wherein absorbed applied coloration -or- adsorbed wearer’s exuded ‘hygiene’ -or- embedded extraneous organic stains from foods or occupational activities → merged with the material ⇒ forming a micro-ecosystem for integrally attached molds or fungi – never detaching when normally laundered; 

(3) upon HUMANs as skin spreading afflictions which degrade hair follicle pigment production – turning both skin & hair white – and characterized by terminal dormancy – when there remains no further skin or hair follicles upon the afflicted body – thus no longer potentially contagious! (substantially not in mediterranean or northern climates: varieties occasionally thriving in Central African jungles were intermixed within Our Exodus’ mixed-multitude populations) 

Similarly, PLAUSIBLE ‘Toxicity Avoidance’ aspects of three related Legal-Logic prohibition Mitzvot are explained & extrapolated in https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/KILAYIM-min-hatorah-and-indeterminate-liability/; while many others await omni-directional ‘physicality’ appreciation…