Matzo meal, also spelled matzah meal, is a coarse or fine powder made by grinding crispy, unleavened matzo bread. It is a staple ingredient in Jewish cuisine, particularly during Passover, when the consumption of leavened bread is prohibited.
Matzo meal is used to prepare a variety of traditional dishes, such as matzo balls for soup, kugel, and as a binding or breading agent in savory and sweet recipes. The type of matzo used for matzo meal in Ashkenazi tradition must be kosher for Passover, containing only flour and water from one of five permitted grains: wheat, spelt, barley, rye, or oats.
While Ashkenazi cooking relies heavily on matzo meal, Sephardic Jewish cuisines more often utilize whole matzo rather than its ground form. Variations in texture—fine, medium, and coarse—are produced to suit different culinary applications.
