Passover laws Passover has stricter dietary rules, the most important of which is the prohibition on eating leavened bread or derivatives of this, which are known as chametz. This prohibition is derived from Exodus 12:15.
Five kinds of grains are prohibited: wheat, rye, barley, oats and spelt. Why? Because these grains begin to ferment and rise when they come into contact with water for 18 minutes. In Hebrew, that rising grain is called chametz.
» Because the Torah allows eating only animals that both chew their cud and have cloven hooves, pork is prohibited. So are shellfish, lobsters, oysters, shrimp and clams, because the Old Testament says to eat only fish with fins and scales. Another rule prohibits mixing dairy with meat or poultry.
Prohibition on mixing dairy products with meat
Others associate it with the general prohibition on certain mixtures set out in the Torah, such as that of coupling animals from different species. Yet others see it as symbolic: the refusal to mix life (milk) and death (meat).
Animals that live in water can only be eaten if they have fins and scales. This means that shrimps, prawns and squid are not fish in the true sense, and so they are just as non-kosher as the eel which has lost its fins through evolution.
Only eggs from kosher fowl are kosher. These include chicken, Cornish hens, ducks, geese, and turkey. The prohibition of eating blood applies even to the smallest drop of blood, and thus any blood spots found in an egg renders the egg non-kosher.
Kosher pareve means food that is prepared without meat, milk or their derivatives. Examples of kosher foods are beef, chicken, salmon, tuna and milk. Dark chocolate is considered Kosher since it only contains cocoa beans, vanilla beans, and sugar.
Jewish tradition permits controlled alcohol drinking, whereas Muslim tradition prohibits the use of any alcohol.
Along with wheat, barley, rye and spelt, oats are one of the “five grains,” which can become chametz when brought into contact with water. On Passover, it is forbidden to eat or even own chametz. Oatmeal (and most other oat products) is therefore not kosher for Passover.
Because of this, any type of leavened bread or bread product is prohibited during Passover. These leavened products, known as chametz, include certain grain-based foods like breads, pasta, pastries, breadcrumbs, crackers, etc. Unleavened bread, aka “matzo,” traditionally takes the place of chametz during Passover.
And by tradition, Ashkenazi Jews don't eat legumes, rice, seeds and corn on Passover.
While every moment of the Passover Seder is designed to be interactive and enjoyable, hiding the afikomen—a broken piece of matzoh—is often a beloved part of the day among families.
The ban has been in place since the 13th century, but it's always been controversial. And now, it's been overturned. According to NPR, last December an international group of conservative rabbis made the decision that it's okay to eat rice, beans and corn during Passover. Why overrule an 800-year-old law?
During the first two and last two days of Passover, many traditionally observant Jews will abstain from most of the same activities they avoid on the Sabbath — no driving, working, using electricity, lighting fires or spending money.
The very clear answer is that no, ice cream is not prohibited at all. Orthodox Jews love ice cream as much as any other culture, and the sheer number of brands, flavors, and recipes grows by the year — almost every ice cream brand you'll see on shelves boast a kosher symbol.
According to the Shulchan Aruch, a rabbinic decree (called gevinat akum) prohibits all cheese made by non-Jews without Jewish supervision, even if its ingredients are all kosher, because very frequently the rennet in cheese is not kosher.
The Torah prohibits cooking, eating or deriving any benefit from the mixture of meat and milk. Although rennet used to make cheese make be derived from a kosher animal source, the rennet itself is an enzyme and is not considered a meat product so it may be used to make a Kosher Cheese.
(see the Summer 2016 issue of BTUS) And since butter is often made from whey cream or from a blend of sweet cream and whey cream, butter can be non-kosher if it is made with non-kosher whey cream.
Although it is more costly, some yogurt companies opt for special OU-certified gelatin, which comes from fully kosher-processed animals. This has been a terrific solution for some companies. Greek yogurt has been a boon both for the dairy industry as well as for kosher certification.
All unprocessed fruits and vegetables are kosher.
All foods that grow in the soil or on plants, bushes or trees are viewed as kosher, with the exception of hybrid fruits and vegetables. Insects are not kosher so foods prone to insect infestation such as cauliflower must be carefully examined.
Lobster is not kosher: Jewish Scriptures prohibit eating all shellfish. Nevertheless, Maine's Jews have developed a pronounced fondness for one of this state's signature dishes. Many Jewish Mainers eat lobster even though they would never eat pork, another forbidden food.
Although many Kosher fish are completely covered with scales, Halacha requires only a minimum number of scales to accord a fish Kosher status (see Y.D. 83:1). Tuna, for example, have very few scales, yet are nevertheless considered a Kosher fish.
What does this mean for Muslim and Jewish consumers? Summing up, Muslim buyers can consume kosher products. Jewish buyers cannot do likewise with halal. For many Muslim buyers, non-alcoholic kosher food products are considered halal.