Sundown on April 19 marks the beginning of a new, eight-day diet for practicing members of the Jewish faith.

To many, Passover, the Jewish celebration of the redemption of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, means salt water, charoset, bitter herbs and most importantly, matzo.

With more than 4,000 Jewish students at Penn State, according to the Penn State Hillel Web site, many students will have to sacrifice meals at their favorite eateries such as Panda Express, Canyon Pizza and Sbarros to properly celebrate the holiday. In case that eliminated all of your favorite food options, here are some fun and classic tips to enjoy your yeast-free week.

Tip No. 1: Embrace the matzo

Matzo, the unleavened bread the Israelites baked as they left Egypt, comes in many different forms, varieties and flavors. Different brands, such as Streit's Passover Matzos (both the regular and whole-wheat kind), Horowitz Margareten Matzo, and Manischewitz Matzos, can be found at the local Wegmans's, 345 Colonnade Blvd.

"Passover is really all about matzo and eggs," said Aaron Kaufman, director of Penn State Hillel.

To spruce up the crunchy food, many people use various kosher-for-Passover products, including cream cheese and jelly. In particular, many people like to combine cheese, marinara sauce and matzo to make matzo pizza.

"The easiest thing I do is make matzo pizza," said Jeremy Weisblatt (senior-classics and ancient Mediterranean studies), a student kosher food coordinator.

In addition to the traditional, large square matzos, kosher company Manischewitz also produces regular and whole grain Tam-Tams, seasoned hexagon-shaped crackers that come in egg, "everything," garlic, onion and no-salt flavors. Tam-Tams can be found at Wegmans and can be paired with assorted kosher-for-Passover dips.

Tip No. 2: Utilize the brand-new, on-campus kosher-for-Passover options.

For the first time ever, Penn State will be offering a kosher-for-Passover, all-you-can-eat lunch and dinner buffet from Sunday night to Sunday, April 27, in Waring Commons -- covering every night of Passover except the first one, Weisblatt said.

Weisblatt, who has spent three years working to bring the kosher options to Penn State, will be the Mashgiach, supervising the kosher-for-Passover process in Waring Commons for the entire holiday.

"I'm very excited to bring this idea to fruition," Weisblatt said.

In addition to Waring Commons providing lunch and dinner with the A-La Board meal plan, The Mix in Pollock Commons has many kosher-for-Passover necessities as well. Currently, there is a special for students that allows them to buy a $9 bundle that includes one box of matzo, one jar of vodka sauce or marinara sauce and one package of cheese while supplies last. The special runs until tomorrow.

In addition, the on-campus store has kosher-for-Passover items including Dr. Brown's soda, Gefen applesauce, Manischewitz macaroons, Manischewitz fruit slices and Joyva chocolate-covered jelly rings and chocolate-covered cherry flavored marshmallow pieces.

Tip No. 3: Out-of-the-box mixes are essential

While some college students would like to cook traditional Jewish favorites such as matzo ball soup and potato latkes from scratch, many students simply don't have the time, expertise or energy to complete such a difficult task.

Enter the kosher-for-Passover mix box.

In particular, the Manischewitz brand produces box mixes for potato pancakes, matzo ball soup and breakfast pancakes so that, with a couple of kitchen utensils and an oven, students can make their home-cooked favorites in a matter of minutes.

Kaufman also recommended matzo brie, a combination of fried matzo, egg and seasoning, for off-campus students.

"Matzo brie is pretty easy to make," Kaufman said. "It's pretty simple -- it doesn't take a lot of talent to make it."

For additional quick holiday dishes, Weisblatt said The Mix will also carry kosher-for-Passover mayonnaise, canned tuna fish and matzo ball soup in addition to the products listed above.

"Those are pretty easy things to do," Weisblatt said. "It's a little bit easier than ever before. [They're] staples that will get you through the week."