Most Jewish Americans grew up eating and drinking Manischewitz products. From grape wine to gefilte fish, Manischewitz has been an integral part of the Jewish holidays for over a century. You might be surprised to learn that it all started with matzo. In March of 1888, Rabbi Dov Behr Manischewitz turned to his wife and said “I’m going to bake matzos this year.” Previously matzo had been baked in synagogues, but times were changing. The Jewish community in the United States was growing steadily, and the timing was right for independent matzo bakers to set up shops of their own. Rabbi Manischewitz’s hope when opening a small bakery in Cincinnati, Ohio was to provide his close friends and family with unleavened bread during Passover. Word spread quickly, and soon he was selling to many more Jews throughout the city. The bakery achieved success early on. While Rabbi Manischewitz was certainly innovative, he always remained dedicated to the spiritual needs of his customers.
By the end of the 1800s, the high demand for Rabbi Manischewitz’s matzo required that he begin using gas-fired ovens in lieu of the coal-powered ovens used by most Jewish bakers. The new gas ovens allowed him to carefully control baking speeds, which in turn provided him with an opportunity to ensure that the quality of his product was consistent. By March of 1907, the small Manischewitz bakery became a 37,000 square foot factory that produced 20,000 pounds of matzo every day. The company was also the first to package matzo for shipment, which made it possible to send them well beyond Cincinnati to exotic overseas destinations like Japan, France and New Zealand. Rabbi Manischewitz’s operation became a model for kosher bakeries around the world.
After his passing in 1914, Rabbi Manischewitz’s son Jacob took over operations as the new president of the The B. Manischewitz Company. He introduced many significant developments to the matzo-making process, including a very expensive piece of machinery in 1920 that pushed out 12.5 million matzos per day. These machine-produced matzos were identical in their square shape, texture and appearance, making them easily distinguishable as a Manischewitz matzo. In 1932 a second Manischewitz factory was built in Jersey City, New Jersey. This proved to be a smart move, considering its proximity to a much larger Jewish population. Distribution to east coast grocery stores and delis became more efficient and an even larger customer base grew. The success of the new factory made it possible to shut down the Cincinnati factory altogether.
Manischewitz began venturing beyond matzos in 1940 when the Tam-Tam cracker was introduced. In 1954, when the company purchased a processing plant in Vineland, New Jersey, the line of products grew further. Hand-packed favorites like borscht, chicken soup and gefilte fish could now be widely distributed under the Manischewitz name. Today the Manischewitz Company produces hundreds of kosher products and remains the top matzo producer in the world.
Manischewitz started with matzo, so it seems fitting that my second “Thanksgivukah” recipe for the company be made with their famous matzo meal (ground matzo squares). Who says you need to wait for Passover to enjoy matzo? It’s a great substitute for breadcrumbs year-round, and I recently discovered it makes a delicious topping for a fruit crisp. This simple and crave-worthy recipe for Matzo Crisp with Pear, Apple and Cranberries can be made dairy or pareve. It’s so easy to put together, a seasonal and scrumptious option for Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, or just because. Who can resist the power of a warm, freshly baked fruit crisp? Add a scoop of ice cream and prepare to swoon!
Meanwhile, check out these fabulous Thanksgivukah links from Manischewitz:
Hilarious Thanksgiving-Hanukkah Rap Battle
This post was sponsored by Manischewitz. Thank you for supporting my sponsors, they help me to share more free recipes and food history with you!
Recommended Products:
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Matzo Crisp with Pear, Apple and Cranberries
Ingredients
Filing Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds pears, peeled, cored and diced
- 1 1/2 pounds Gala apples, peeled, cored and diced
- 12 ounces cranberries- fresh or frozen (1 bag)
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons minute tapioca
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon orange blossom water (optional)
Topping Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Manischewitz matzo meal
- 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans, almonds or walnuts
- 8 tbsp chilled unsalted butter or non-hydrogenated margarine cut into 1-inch pieces (use margarine to make vegan)
- Vanilla ice cream or crème fraîche for serving, if desired (use a dairy free ice cream to keep this dessert pareve)
NOTES
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, toss together all filling ingredients and stir gently till combined. Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the first 7 topping ingredients - matzo meal, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt. Pulse a few times till ingredients are blended.
- Add nuts and unsalted butter or margarine pieces to the processor. Continue to pulse till the mixture is combined and crumbly. Do not over-process-- you want some texture to the nuts and bits of butter in the mix. If you don't have a processor, you can instead mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, then add the butter mixture with your fingers or a pastry blender. Work the butter into the mixture till a crumbly texture forms.
- Grease the baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Pour filling mixture into your baking dish and spread it in an even layer.
- Sprinkle the topping evenly over the top of the fruit filling. Place the baking dish on a cookie sheet - this will catch any overflow of fruit juice in the oven.Put the crisp and cookie sheet in the oven and let it bake for 50-60 minutes, turning once during baking, till the crisp topping is lightly browned.
- Remove the crisp from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve the crisp warm topped with vanilla ice cream or crème fraîche, if desired.Store any leftover crisp in the refrigerator. Reheat before serving.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Research Sources:
“History.” Manischewitz 120. The Manischewitz Company, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
“Our History.” Manischewitz. The Manischewitz Company, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
Sarna, Jonathan D. “How Matzah Became Square: Manischewitz and the Development of Machine-Made Matzah in the United States.” Brandeis University. Graduate School Of Jewish Studies Touro College, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
This was a total crowd pleaser for Corona virus Pesach this year. I always bulk buy fresh cranberries around Thanksgiving and freeze them, so I had plenty. I did not have minute tapioca, but I used tapioca flour. ( no Pesach hesher, but we were ok with that). I used margarine and coconut oil so it would be pareve. This is a dessert where that “Passover flavor” of too many eggs/potato starch/ cake meal doesn’t creep in, which is refreshing!
I am making this in London, please can you give me the measure of a cup (ie 3/4 cup matzo meal) what is that in ounces or grams?
Hi Elaine, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. We do not measure our recipe ingredients by weight, but after a quick Google search I found that 3/4 cup is equivalent to 6 fluid ounces. I’m not sure how helpful that is, but I hope somewhat!
We have a house full of food allergies. What other fruits could you use besides apples and cranberries? Pears are O.K, or would it be better to try 3 different fruits?
Hi Gayle, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. This recipe lends itself well to many types of fruit, so feel free to replace the apples and cranberries with any fruit you like, or you can just use pears by themselves.
I love the recipe for Matzo Crisp. My question is can it be made in advance and put in the freezer? Thanks for the info.
Hi Nancy, I’ve never frozen it but my guess is it will freeze quite well. Enjoy!
I have made it ahead of time and frozen before baking, turned out great!
Can this be made into a vegan dish?
Hi Bonnie, if you use a vegan butter (like Earth Balance) this recipe is vegan. Also be sure to use a dairy-free ice cream rather than crème fraîche for serving (there are some great coconut-based ice creams out there). Enjoy!
what is minute tapioca and what can i substitute it with? or can i omit it?
Hi Susanna– try 1 1/2 tsp of potato starch. It won’t have exactly the same texture as the tapioca, but it should thicken the filling nicely. I wouldn’t omit a thickener completely, or you risk the crisp filling becoming too runny.
I made it today and it’s so so good!
I used arrowroot instead of tapioca, (not sure if it’s kosher or Passover, but I just wanted to make it) and it worked perfect! I used 3 tablespoon ratio
I’ve used corn starch and tapioca flour different times and they worked great as thickener.