Matzah or matzo is an unleavened flatbread that is part of Jewish cuisine and forms an integral element of the Passover festival, during which chametz is forbidden.
As the Torah recounts, God commanded the Israelites (modernly, Jews and Samaritans) to eat only unleavened bread during the seven day Passover festival. Matzah can be either soft like a pita loaf or crispy. Only the crispy variety is produced commercially because soft matzah has a very short shelf life. Matzah meal is crispy matzah that has been ground to a flour-like consistency. Matzah meal is used to make matzah balls, the principal ingredient of matzah ball soup. Sephardic Jews typically cook with matzah itself rather than matzah meal.
Matzah that is kosher for Passover is limited in Ashkenazi tradition to plain matzah made from flour and water. The flour may be whole grain or refined grain, but must be made from one of five grains: wheat, spelt, barley, rye, or oat. Some Sephardic Jewish cuisine communities allow matzah to be made with eggs and/or fruit juice to be used throughout the holiday.