The Prince of Egypt: Seder Table
Introduction
The Seder, or Passover meal, begins with a retelling of the Bible story of the Exodus. Although what must be on the table for a service varies somewhat from family to family, tradition to tradition, there are some things that must be present. First, there will be hagaddahs, or prayer books specifically for the Seder, which are used to conduct the service.
On one plate will be three matzoh, covered with a special matzoh cover or sometimes just a napkin.
Another bowl will hold Haroset, a mix of chopped nuts, dried fruit, wine and spices.
A ceremonial plate must have parsley, horseradish, a roasted lamb shank. The plate may also contain lettuce, and roasted egg.
Also on the table will be a kiddush cup for ceremonial wine for the leader (as well as wine glasses for the participants) and a special wine glass reserved for the prophet Elijah, should he choose this night to join us.
During the course of the seder the foods are treated as symbols and used as touchstones as the tale of liberation from slavery is recounted.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of Parsley
- Salt
- 1 top portion of horseradish root
- 1 roasted egg
- 1 roasted lamb shank
- Matzoh
Preparing the Seder ceremonial plate
The ceremonial plate must have horseradish, or Maror. It reminds us of the ways the Egyptians embittered the lives of the Israelite slaves. Traditionalists use whole horseradish root, though others used prepared chopped horseradish. What you're not permitted to use is "red" horseradish, which is prepared with beets, because the bitter root may not be sweetened in any way. 
Peel off the bottom part of the root. 
Slice slivers of the root onto a plate. You'll also place on the seder plate:
- Salted water
- 1 top portion of horseradish root
- 1 roasted egg
- 1 roasted lamb shank
Some also put lettuce on the plate.
The egg and lamb shank can be roasted in a 400 degree F oven for about an hour.
Three Matzoh are placed on the table, covered. This is a Matzoh cover that was embroidered by my great-great grandfather. 
Every guest gets a wine glass and a separate wine glass is placed ceremonial filled on the table for the Prophet Elijah, should he decide to attend. Candles are ceremonially lit during the pre-dinner seder. The brass candlesticks shown here belonged to my grandmother, who taught me most of the recipes in this dinner. Guest to the seder read from special Passover prayer books called "Haggadahs". Copyright 2007 Acme Computing Inc.
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