Maror

Maror is a symbolic food eaten during Passover, the Jewish spring holiday commemorating the ancient Jewish peoples’ freedom from slavery in Egypt. The Seder is a ritual meal that involves telling the Passover story, and maror—the bitter herbs—are an essential part of the Seder plate, alongside other symbolic foods like charoset.

What is maror?

According to tradition, bitter herbs are eaten during the Passover Seder to symbolize the Jewish people’s suffering while enslaved in Egypt. Some modern interpretations say that it also represents forms of oppression that still exist today. Many Jewish homes use horseradish for the maror, but other bitter herbs or vegetables—like endive—work as well. Traditionally, you use vegetables from the ground rather than from a tree. The other five spots on the Seder plate are for a shank bone (or a roasted beet for vegetarians), charoset, lettuce (often romaine), parsley and an egg.

What herbs count as maror?

You can use several different herbs and vegetables as the maror on a Passover Seder plate. Horseradish is the most common. Romaine lettuce is another option, either as the main bitter herb or as a second bitter herb, as are radicchio and celery. Like other Passover traditions, maror is different in different countries. In Brazil, where horseradish root isn’t native, some people use wasabi powder or mustard greens, according to the cookbook King Solomon’s Table. And as culinary historian Michael Twitty explains on his blog Afroculinaria, he uses collard greens to represent his Jewish and African American identities.

How do you eat maror?

During the Seder, maror is eaten sandwiched between two pieces of matzo, with a big scoop of charoset, the apple and nut mixture. While some people enjoy the spicy taste of horseradish and happily eat it throughout the week of Passover, maror is primarily a symbolic food that’s eaten in small amounts as part of the Seder (don’t forget to save some to dollop on the gefilte fish).

Ingredients for Maror (Homemade Horseradish)

Jonathan Melendez for Taste Recipes

• Horseradish root: Use fresh peeled horseradish root for this recipe.
• Vinegar: Vinegar helps preserve the horseradish and provides a tangy taste.
• Sugar: The sweetness of the sugar is essential for balancing the spice.
• Salt: A little salt brings everything together.

Directions

Step 1: Process the ingredients

Combine the horseradish root, vinegar, sugar and salt in a food processor or blender, and process until they’re fully pureed. Carefully remove the cover of the processor or blender, keeping your face away from the container (it’s potent!), and scrape into a storage container. Store the maror in the refrigerator, and use it as a condiment or in recipes.

Editor’s Tip: The horseradish can get quite spicy, so it might look silly, but wearing goggles and/or covering your mouth and nose with a bandana can be helpful!

Jonathan Melendez for Taste Recipes

How to Make Beet Maror

Our horseradish recipe makes white horseradish, which is traditional for most Seders. According to the Talmud, maror should be bitter in taste and grayish in appearance. But you’ll often see a bright pink maror made from beets on the Passover table. To make beet maror, use a raw beet, peeled and chopped into pieces the same size as the horseradish root. Proceed with the recipe above.

How to Store Maror

Store the maror in an airtight container in the fridge. This maror will last for up to two weeks. Horseradish holds well, and the vinegar helps preserve it even longer, so it will last through Passover and beyond. A glass container is best.

Maror Tips

Jonathan Melendez for Taste Recipes

Can you make maror less spicy?

The best way to make your maror less spicy is to add another ingredient to mellow it out. Beet maror is already sweeter, so you could increase the beet ratio to horseradish. You could also try a different vegetable, like parsnip or carrot.

How can you use leftover maror?

I love having maror leftover after our Passover Seder to use as a condiment on all sorts of foods. If you’re keeping kosher for Passover, serve it with your matzo brei or any of these savory matzo recipes. It also goes great with potato kugel and Passover brisket!