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Passover kosher foods are those that are allowed as per the Jewish religion. Explore to know the different kosher rules for Pesach.

Passover Kosher

Kosher foods are those that are accepted by the laws of the Jewish religion and are consumed during the Passover week. These rules form the central theme of the kashrut, a set of the Jewish dietary laws. The word kosher means “proper” or “pure”, which has been derived from the Hebrew letters “kaf”, “shin” and “reish”. The term kosher can be used to describe any person, thing or situation appearing to be proper or correct. As per the kosher laws, food should be slaughtered, prepared and eaten in a way that is directed in the kashrut. Food can turn non-kosher, if the ingredients are derived from non-kosher animals or from kosher animals that are not properly slaughtered. Wine or grape juice produced without supervision or the use of produce from Israel that has not been tithed is also considered non-kosher and prohibited. Given here are some kosher rules for preparing food on the occasion of Pesach.

Passover Kosher Foods
  • Animals with split hooves or those that chew their cud are allowed on Passover. These include cow, sheep, goat, deer, lamb, addax, antelope, bison, venison, gazelle, giraffe and ibex. Furthermore, milk from these animals is considered kosher.
  • Domesticated birds, such as geese, chickens, turkeys and ducks are kosher food that can be consumed on Passover. Also, their eggs are kosher.
  • Kosher animals should be slaughtered as per the kosher ritual called “shohet”, wherein the animal dies instantly.
  • Kosher animals being slaughtered and processed should be inspected by a rabbi.
  • The internal organs must be inspected to check out blemishes that can otherwise determine the animal to be non-kosher.
  • Meat and dairy products should not be eaten together even if they are kosher.
  • Avoid preparing and cooking kosher foods like meat and dairy together.
  • Always use separate storage containers, cooking and serving utensils, cutting and preparation boards and pots for cooking meat and dairy products in order to keep the food kosher.
  • Fish that have fins and scales are deemed to be kosher. Shellfish is, however, prohibited.
  • Fish, too, cannot be eaten directly with meat.
  • Though all fruits and vegetables are termed to be kosher, they should be checked for bugs and insects.
  • Foods containing a leavened agent must not be consumed during Passover, such as wheat, oats, barley, rye, spelt, breads, crackers and cakes.
  • Wine and grape juice cannot be consumed during Passover. Only kosher wine and juices are allowed.