The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1889-05-29
MAIZE MAKING.
How Hand Made Passover Bread Is Turn.
ed Out in New York.

Walking in Norfolk street, near
Grand street, recently reporter OF the
New York Sun came across two He
brews carrying between them basket
filled with large circular biscuits. Up.
on the side of the basket was printed
this, in fairly good-sized type:
Mates From Grand Rabbi
Jeseph's bakery - Norfolk street"
The Hebrews carried their basket to
- Hester street and gave it to two
young men, who removed the biscuits
from the basket into paper bags OF
various sizes. which they placed upon.
tables near them. The reporter found
at - Hester street a small man, deli
cately featured, with neat bushy
whiskers and hair.
Il am making these mates under
direction of Grand Rabbi Joseph he
said, gesticulating with his fingers and
hands. ''You know that matte is the
name of the unleayened bread that the
Hebrews eat during passover. Matte
is the German for passover bread. Be-
fore the grand rabbi came to this city
and for some time afterward MATES
were made by machinery. In fact,
they are so made now by Hebrew rab-
bis; but this is contrary to the customs
and traditions of the jews. 1t is GUS
tomary to use the utmost caution in
making the matZe-n little more so
than any other article of food used by
Jews. The machine-made matte is
cheaper than the matte we make,
which is entirely handmade and with
in the strict rule of the Hebrew faith.
The grand rabbi has given our matte
his strict approval and it is eaten by
all his congregation"
The bakery in Norfolk streets much
like other bakeries ON the east side.
only that instead of empty and filled
barrels and dough-trays lying promis-
cuously about, all the room is taken
up by human beings. There are sixty
females, of all ages, sizes, and styles of
beauty, busily rolling out balls of
dough. Old and young men are sand
wiched there, so that it is with diff
Guilty that one can move about. e.
Schoolman who knows all about
mates, says: "The flour from which
the dough is made is specially ground
in mill at West Nyack by Jews from
carefully selected wheat. Great care
is taken that no impurities get into the
wheat. After 1t is ground sample is
carried to Grand Rabbi Joseph in his
house in this city, and he approves of
it or not, according as it meets his no.
tions. With his consent It is put in
barrels, clean new ones, marked es-
peeially for the occasion. When
brought in here it is fetched into a
room outside of the bake-shop, mar
row place built for a coal cellar. The
barrels of flour are slowed carefully
alongside the wall. Four men work
there. Two knead the dough in wooden
dishes and one carries flour and the
other water from opposite corners.
There is one man to ladle out the
flour from the bin into the wooden
dough-tray, another to pour cup of
water into the tray afterward. 1t is
absolutely necessary that there should
be two men, for il only one were en-
ployed specks of flour would get into
the water and drops Of water into tho
flour. This would be a dreadful state
of things, or the flour might get sour.
In order to get the water clear of all
impurities it is brought in over night
and allowed to settle, and in dipping
the water out the man is careful not to
stir it. These two men rest while not
pouring flour or water into the dough-
trays and until the dough is carried
out into the outer room. The dough
is kneaded hard, and care is taken to
prevent impurities from getting into it
anywhere. 1t is now a roll of dough
weighing about ten pounds. 1t is
then cut into chunks by man who
does nothing olse, and carried by an
other man, hired for just that sole
purpose, to the females, who proceed
to roll out the chunks into flat dough.
Men pick up the fiat pieces and toss
them to another set of men, who roll
over them two sets of wheels, impress
ing little diamonds on the biscuit,
They are then placed by man upon a
ladle. Another keeps showing them
into the oven and pulling them out,
tossing them upon tables. The women
first flatten the dough with their hands.
While this is done a Hebrew comes
with sand paper and glass and removes
any specks' of dough from the rolling
pins. The women stand close to-
gether and beat tattoo as they keep
up a continual roll upon the board.
The baking of mates can only be
carried on during daylight and stops
at shutdown. They work until noon
Friday. The mates sold from this
bakery bring II and ~ cents a pound,
while the machine-made fetch and Z
cents. just before passover a highly
priced matte is baked for all the holy
men among the Hebrews and is dis
posed of at upward OF 30 and 80 cents
pound.