January 12, 2012

Bitter Herb

This blogspot is called The Bitter Herb, so I figured I had to mention something about the origin of how The Bitter got it's name. The title for The Bitter Herb came from the bible. Maror (מָרוֹר mārôr) also Marror, refers to the bitter herbs eaten at the Passover Seder in keeping with the biblical commandment "with bitter herbs they shall eat it." (Exodus 12:8).

The most common vegetables used as bitter herbs are horseradish and romaine lettuce. Romaine lettuce is not initially bitter, but becomes so after the first taste, which is symbolic of the experience of the Jews in Egypt. Other suitable vegetables include endive and charchavinah (variously identified as a vine growing around palms, a type of thistle, or a type of acacia), both of which are mentioned explicitly in the Mishna (Pesachim 2:6). Some Sephardic families use green onions or curly parsley.  Some of these bitter herbs are still used in cooking today. The Bitter Herbs are also a great alternative to salt and pepper.