Description
This implement, sometimes called in Yiddish a redel, is a spiked roller or toothed wheel used to perforate the dough of unleavened bread (matzot) before baking. These perforations prevent the dough from rising during baking, an essential condition for the bread to remain unleavened and conformant with the requirements of Passover, which prohibits all leaven. A domestic utensil of Eastern Europe, it was used during the making of matzot in the family or community setting, in the days preceding the festival. It testifies to the meticulous preparations surrounding the making of Passover bread before the era of industrially produced matzot.
