The good old days - Soft and Fresh Matzos.

Rabbi Kafieh, who was the greatest Yemenite Gaon of our times, wrote a lot documenting the customs of the community he came from especially the city Sana’a, the capital of Yemen. He wrote a sefer Halichot Teiman, which is a worthwhile read if one is interested in the customs of different communities. As we know the community in Yemen dates back to the second temple and, having lived in almost total isolation until the great Aliyah after the founding of the State of Israel, has retained ancient Minhagim.As time went on there was an infiltration of outside influence, Rambam was one of their heroes, and Kabbalah took some strong roots, although not without controversy. However old customs survived, many unchanged from early days.

R. Kafieh reports that on Pessach, Yemmenite Jews baked their Matzos fresh daily. They were soft and easy to eat and very tasty – they were even salted. He adds a very interesting comment, paraphrasing the thoughts of a Yemmenite Jew: “HKBH knew that later generations as time goes on, will place more and more Chumros until they will forbid to bake on Pessach (we are machmir because on Pessach Chametz is bemashehu), that is why the Torah says only by Pessach among all the Yomim Tovim: Ach asher ye’ochel lechol nefesh hu levado Ye’osseh lochem”. That is the verse the Rabbis learned from that one is permitted to cook on Yom Tov. The choice of Pessach to indicate that, is to remind us not to apply the Chumros to the point of not baking fresh matzos.

R. Kafieh points out that in Yemen there never was a problem eating a Keza'ys matzoh. The Matzoh was fresh and tasty.

He also notes that the Afikoman was not stolen. They found other ways of keeping the children’s interest. Stealing was not considered a good idea when educating young children. It would seem that communities that adhered to old Jewish customs were machmir in bein odom lacheveiro and Meikil in bein odom lamokom.