Making Haroset

Last Friday was Passover and although we aren’t Jewish, our family has long celebrated Passover from a Messianic Christian perspective.  We have a Passover Seder and have a big family celebration.  One of the favorite parts of the meal is eating the haroset.  Haroset comes from a Hebrew word meaning clay or mortar and in the Seder meal, it is meant to remind the Israelites of when they were slaves in Egypt and were forced to make bricks.  Haroset is a sweet dish made with apples, lemon juice, mango, pecans, honey and cinnamon.

In one part of the Seder, we eat bitter herbs (horseradish) on top of matzos to symbolize the bitterness of sin/slavery.  Our eyes fill with water as the horseradish clears our sinuses and we think about the bitterness of being in bondage – as a slave or as a slave to sin.  Then the very next thing we do in the Seder is to put more horseradish on top of matzos, but this time we cover it with Haroset and then eat it.  The sweetness of the haroset overwhelms the bitterness of the horseradish.  This symbolizes the Hope we have in Jesus as He covers our sin and gives us FREEDOM.

It is one of those times where the meal lasts for a couple of hours, filled with good food, fellowship, and meaningful storytelling.  We eat lamb (we hardly ever eat lamb), have great leftovers for a couple of days and that means the lady of the house doesn’t have to worry about cooking all weekend!  But one thing we always say every year is this, “Why is it that we only eat haroset on Passover?”  It is so good and spread on top of matzos is a great breakfast or snack.

There is no rule that states that you can only eat haroset during Passover.  In fact, I read online that Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream makes a haroset flavored ice cream.  Interesting!  If you’ve never tried it, here’s how we make it.  You can make it, too.  We follow the recipe from here: Splendidtable.org and here’s what you need to make this simple, but delicious dish:

v  2 Granny Smith apples

v  Juice of 1/2 lemon

v  1/2 cup fresh mango, peeled and diced

v  1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

v  1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

v  1 tablespoon honey

v  1 tablespoon Port or sweet wine (we substitute grape juice)

Peel, core, and dice the apples and sprinkle with lemon juice.  Place all the ingredients in a food processor.  Pulse a couple of times to break it up and mix and then sit it in the fridge for a few hours for the flavors to meld.  Then it is time to eat.  Enjoy!

Haroset on Matzo

Haroset.  It’s not just for Passover anymore!