Judaism 101
April 4, 2008
Passover’s Noodles
Maayan Jaffe
Staff Reporter
We all know that on Passover chametz is forbidden. Chametz is defined as any of the five grains — wheat, spelt, barley, oat and rye. However, what about kitniyot, foods such as legumes, beans, seeds and mustard?
They are forbidden to Ashkenazic Jews. Sephardic Jews allow them.
The medieval Ashkenazic Jewish sages placed a ban on eating kitniyot because they are similar in texture to chametz, their products appear like chametz products, and you can even make bread from their flour. Furthermore, the early 14th-century commentary the Beit Yosef, for example, noted that chametz grains may become mixed with kitniyot — apparently due to the change in crop cycles — and therefore one may inadvertently actually eat chametz if he eats kitniyot.
However, there are some leniencies. First, one is not obligated to destroy or sell kitniyot products before Passover, as one is with chametz. It also is permitted to use non-edible kitniyot products such as baby powder, which can contain cornstarch. Sick people can take medicine containing kitniyot.
In recent years, the goose-foot family vegetable quinoa has come on the market. It closely resembles a grain, but the Star-K, for example, permits quinoa to Ashkenazim on Passover.