Industrial Kosher Articles
Behind the Chametz-Free Certification
For industrial products, the familiar OU-P (kosher for Passover) can sometimes be replaced by a “chametz-free” certification. What does this mean? To find out, studying some terminology will be in order. CHAMETZ: Fermented grains (wheat, oats, barley, rye and spelt), all proscribed–that is, forbidden—on Passover; KITNIYOT: Legume products, also not for Passover use, but of […]
A Chemical Reaction At Passover
TO A LARGE EXTENT, the chemical industry is free from Passover issues because so many food chemicals are exclusively mineral-based, as are the processing aids. However, it would be inaccurate to say that the regulations of Passover do not impact at all. We will focus on two critical areas: flocculants and alcohols. A flocculant is […]
Meeting The Challenge Of Certifying Flavors For Passover
FLAVORS—THE MYSTERIOUS ingredients added to almost all processed foods that completes the gastronomic experience create unique challenges for Passover certification. Due to the nature of flavor chemicals and the complexity of their manufacture, every chemical in flavors requires individual investigation to determine its Passover status. No master list is available for the raw materials that […]
The Kosher For Passover Snack: A Rarity No More
Passover is a holiday steeped in great tradition. Our ancestors, living in a world without manufacturing processes, prepared all the food used for Passover from scratch, involving great time and painstaking effort. Producing any more than the bare minimum that was needed for the holiday was out of the question. “You will survive without snacks […]
Not A Half-Baked Idea: Baking For Passover Offers Tasty Rewards
Passover is a time when the kosher consumer faces additional dietary restrictions. Leavened bread, termed chametz, is forbidden. The well-known traditional baked staple permitted and associated with Passover is matzah, which is baked from dough that does not rise. The dough used for matzah contains no yeast, just flour and water, and must be baked […]
Keeping Up with Passover Trenditions
Supermarkets across the globe know just the right moment to signal the Jewish consumer’s Passover panic. About six weeks before the holiday begins, the conspicuous Passover products display reminders appear–endless boxes of matzah, jars upon jars of gefilte fish, and bottles of grape juice, throwing the calmest of consumers into a flurry of mental ruminations. […]
From The Editor
The very Hebrew name for the holiday, Pesach, refers to a conversant mouth. The matzah rabbinically referred to as lechem oni, poor man’s bread, is seen not simply as a food consumed when hastily leaving Egypt, but as a medium for discussion and elaboration on countless Passover themes. The Bible instructs that we verbally communicate […]
The Sleeping Giant: The Kosher For Passover Market
The scene in my local supermarket is a familiar one each year. A few weeks before Passover, the first shipment of OU-P (P=KOSHER FOR PASSOVER) Coca-Cola arrives and is placed on display for sale. Immediately, customers pounce on the coveted drink and within a few hours the shelves are left empty and barren. New Passover […]
The Beginnings Of OU Kosher
The beginnings of the Orthodox Union’s Kashruth Division and the world famous OU symbol.
Ancient Bowfin Presents New Ich-Theological Conundrum
What is the Kosher status of the bowfin, the notorious freshwater fish?