Matzo meal is a food product which is made by grinding matzo bread, a traditional Jewish food. There are a wide range of uses for matzo meal in Jewish cuisine, and as a result, it is usually in stock at stores which carry Jewish foods. Commercial matzo meal often comes in several grades, from coarse to fine. It is also possible to make your own matzo meal, either from matzo you bake yourself or matzo purchased at the store.

The bread which forms the base for matzo meal is actually more like a form of cracker than a recognizable bread. It is made by mixing flour and water to form a stiff dough, rolling the dough out, cutting it into shape, and then baking it at high temperatures. Depending on how it is prepared, matzo can be soft, more like a tortilla or wrap, or it can turn into a hard cracker. The cracker is the variety of matzo bread used to make matzo meal.

The process for making matzo meal is quite simple; matzo crackers are ground into a meal which can include larger particles for a more coarse version, or smaller ones for fine, even matzo meal. Cooks can accomplish this at home with some matzo and a rolling pin; commercial manufactures use crushing rollers or blenders to make their matzo meal. Basically, matzo meal is a type of breadcrumbs or cracker meal; Jewish cuisine often calls for matzo meal because it is presumed to be kosher, since matzo is a Jewish food.

One of the most famous uses for matzo meal is in matzo balls, dumplings made from matzo meal, eggs, and oil which are cooked in boiling broth or water. Matzo meal is also an excellent binder, just like breadcrumbs. It is added to casseroles like noodle kugel, along with foods such as latkes, also known as potato pancakes. Matzo meal can be used in any recipe which calls for breadcrumbs; it has a very clear, plain flavor which will not clash with other ingredients.

In Jewish cuisine, certain dietary restrictions are observed at certain times of the year. During Passover, for example, a number of foods are forbidden. If you are cooking food for Jewish guests during Passover, ask them about the specific culinary traditions of their branch of Judaism, and if you use ingredients like matzo meal, you may want to confirm that they are safe to use for Passover. While all types of matzo are presumed Kosher, not all are safe for Passover, since some have ingredients which are restricted during this important holiday.