The word "Seder" means "order." The Seder plate is the centerpiece of the Passover meal, containing the following traditional foods:Hard-boiled egg -- A sign of spring and rebirth; its hardness symbolizes strength.
Shank bone -- Symbolizes the lamb that was sacrificed in ancient days before the temple was destroyed.
Bitter herbs -- Horseradish roots symbolize the bitterness of slavery.
Haroset -- A mixture of chopped apples, walnuts, cinnamon and wine; it looks like the clay slaves used to make bricks for the Pharaohs' pyramids.
Parsley -- A sign of spring and rebirth; dipped into salt water, it evokes the tears shed by the slaves as well as the parting of the salty Red Sea.
View Comments
Lettuce -- Represents the meager diet of slavery.