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What's kosher for Passover? What's not?

SHELL' DORFMAN
Editorial Assistant

I

t's easy to keep kosher on
Passover — just don't eat
bread ... or rice ... or peas or
mustard or tofu or beans or ...
In actuality, keeping kosher on
Passover involves the observance of
one single rule. The Bible tells us,
"You shall eat nothing leavened,"
referring to dough that has risen.
Rabbi Joseph Krupnik, kashrut
director of the Council of Orthodox
Rabbis of Greater Detroit, explains
that consumption of wheat, oats,
spelt, barley or rye that have been in
resting contact with water long
enough for them to begin to rise, is
prohibited.
Any food or drink made from
any of these grains, even in minute
amounts, is considered to be
chametz, a food containing leaven,
and may not be eaten.

direct usage of peanuts, is not
Ashkenazic Jews (Jews of Eastern
allowed. Sephardic, Yemenite and
European descent) also do not eat
Oriental Jewish customs vary from
many legumes, including beans and
one community to another, and may
peas, as well as corn and rice. This is
because of the chance, that once they include the use of legumes.
Permitted food items include
are ground, they may be mistaken
fresh and raw fowl, fish, meat, fruit
for or mixed with flour made from
and all vegetables (except legumes
one of the five prohibited grains.
among Ashkenazic Jews.)
The custom of not eating corn
It is suggested that all other foods
and soy beans, says Krupnik, carries
eaten on Passover be certified by
over to its byproducts, disallowing
competent rabbinic authorities to
the use of soy oil of corn syrup, a
assure that
common ingredi-
they do not
ent in non-
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at
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contain
kosher for
ingredients
Passover pop. An
that would
exception is the
a a E
tgi
No
render it pro-
peanut, whose
hibited. This
legume-status
Ever wonder what kosher for
includes all
being question-
Passover means? If so, here's
processed
able, is not eaten,
foods, dairy
but its byprod-
a primer to help you
foods, and
ucts, including
celebrate
the
holiday.
canned and
peanut oil, are.
packaged
Peanut butter, a

foods. The rule also guarantees that
the food does not become unusable
from preparation in the same
machinery or cookware as chametz.
Krupnik said every year new
foods are categorized as unacceptable
for Passover use. He said that
although, "generally raw spices are
permissible, except for those falling
into the legume category," Oriental
spices that are too strong in their
pungency for the American palate,
have been found to be "softened
with additives," and may be used
only if labeled kosher for Passover.
Matzah prepared for Passover
is made of flour that includes any
of the five grains. However, its
preparation is watched closely to
avoid premature contact with
water or any leavening agent, and
to assure that the entire process
from the time the flour and
water mix into dough does not
exceed the 18 minutes, after

3/26
1999

Detroit Jewish News

35