“When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?” because they didn’t know what it was. Moses told them, “It is the Bread the Lord has given you to eat.” (Exodus 16:15, HCSB)

The Hebrew word man-hu, literally means "What is it?" This is the name the people of Israel gave the bread which God provided on their way out of Egypt in the desert. This "bread" is strange indeed. It would only appear after the dew of the morning. When the people collected it, they had to collect what they needed for that day. If they collected too much or too little, it still was enough for the people for just that day. If people tried to keep it overnight, it would become infested with worms (not mold, not normal bread, but worms) and began to smell by morning. I would ask "what is it" after I saw bread like this as well. This was not your normal loaf of bread. There are a variety of explanations about what manna could be (including "magic mushrooms"), but no matter what the scientific explanation, it is clear that the emphasis here is less on the food and more on the fact that God provided the food. God provided manna and also quail. God provided food everyday for His people.

What is it? It is God's provision.