Leavened with History
Ben's Bagel Tours all start with a hot bagel but on the Lower East Side, on Stanton Street, it all starts with a hot matzo.
The May 21st, 2013 Wall Street Journal article - A Lower East Side Story, Leavened With History, a filmmaker aims to tell the fascinating story of the Streit's Matzo Factory. Click here to read the article
On one of our New York walking tours, weekdays are best to visit the Streit's matzo factory while you watch the large sheets of matzo fall from the metal ovens. The bakers break the matzos into the individual squares that we see in the stores. On my first visit, as I watched this well coordinated bake off, I was surprised when one of the bakers turned around and offered me a hot matzo fresh out of the oven. It tasted different! More flavorful and crunchier. So many choices were to be tasted including Salted, Unsalted, Egg, Spelt, Poppy and Onion, and Mediterranean flavors. Huh? Mediterranean? It was like being in the Baskin Robbins version of Matzo - with more than 31 flavors..
Sometimes we think that matzo is only for Passover but after eating one of those hot matzos, I started thinking that this might become a year round past time.
If you are planning a visit to the Lower East Side and want to make Streit's part of your food tour, contact Ben and Marty's Bagel Tours.
