Passover is one of the most significant festivals observed in the Jewish calendar. The festival marks the freedom of the Jews from the enslavement under the rule of the ancient Egyptians. Observed with great splendor and grandeur across the globe, Passover, also known as Pesach, falls on the 15th day of the first Hebrew month of Nisan. Fasting, holidaying, feasting and merry-making are the main highlights of the holy occasion. While the Jewish dietary laws, known as kashrut, have laid certain rules pertaining to foods that can be consumed during Passover, there are certain foods considered to be non-kosher. Given here are some foods that are prohibited to be eaten during the Passover week as per the kashrut.
Passover Non-Kosher Foods
Animals
All land animals that do not chew the cud or do not have cloven hooves are considered to be unclean, hence, non-kosher. Hare, camel, hyrax, rock badger and pig are termed as non-kosher as per the Jewish laws. Aquatic creatures that do not have fins and scales, such as lobsters, oysters, shrimp, clams and crabs are forbidden. Among the birds, the birds of prey or scavengers are regarded as non-kosher. Also, rodents, reptiles, amphibians and insects are all prohibited on Passover. Furthermore, milk, eggs, fat or organs derived from any of these animals is also non-kosher.
Dairy Products
Animals are non-kosher if they are discovered to be diseased after slaughtering. Hence, their milk is also considered to be non-kosher during Passover, though many Jews overrule this principle. Another custom that arose during the Talmudic times was non-consumption of meat and dairy products altogether. This was only possible after the passage of few hours which differed from country to country. While the Dutch consumed dairy products an hour after meat consumption, the German Jews have increased the time period to three hours. Eastern European Jews, on the other hand, wait for six hours for the same. This separation is not restricted to consumption only, but also restrained to their preparation. Both dairy and milk products are cooked in separate utensils, pots and pans. Even the plates and flatware in which they are served, the dishwashers or dishpans in which they are cleaned, the sponges used for cleaning them and the towels used for drying them are also different.
Breast Milk
While human meat is considered to be forbidden during Passover, women’s breast milk is not regarded as non-kosher for children below fours years of age, or five in case the child is sick. For those above the age limit, breast milk is considered non-kosher.
Cheese
The production of hard cheese usually contains rennet, an enzyme which separates the milk into curd and whey. Though vegetable or microbial sources can be used to make rennet from, but most rennet is made from stomach linings of animals which can be non-kosher. Hence, cheese that contains rennet made from kosher animals that have been slaughtered as per the Jewish laws can be consumed. To add on, the rennet derived from the kosher animals that are not slaughtered according to the laws of kashrut is non-kosher.
Gelatin
Gelatin is hydrolyzed collagen (the main protein in animal connective tissue) that possibly comes from non-kosher sources, such as pig. Hence, due to its various controversies of being kosher or not, most Orthodox rabbis have termed gelatin as non-kosher. Therefore to avoid consuming non-kosher gelatin, it is substituted with gelatin-like materials, such as food starch from tapioca, chemically modified pectins and carrageenan combines with various vegetable gums including guar gum, locust bean gum, xanthan gum, gum acacia, agar and others.
