@Thas made a comment in another thread that reminded me I have a potentially unfamiliar situation coming up that I need to plan for.
I’m not Jewish, but I swim/work out at a Jewish Community Center that is inclusive of the whole community. I sometimes work out after playing mahjong or participating in other activities there. On days like that, I’m there long enough that I need to pack a lunch. They do ask us to at least outwardly observe the rules of Kashrut and not mix dairy and meat, and not bring in pork or seafood products. Other than that they don’t go checking for the Circle-U label on products we bring in unless it’s going to have to be prepared by someone there, such as when it’s going to the kid’s daycare area.
Normally it’s not a problem, but Passover is coming up and I know that means some changing rules as to what is allowed and what’s not. That means that the usual Oatmega bar that I keep in my gym bag for post-workout glucose recovery is definitely a no-go that week if I have to (But eeeeew!) The barley salad I sometimes take, also a no go. I normally take Siggi’s yogurt. It is Orthodox Union certified, but I don’t think it gets the Kosher for Passover certification.
Ideas for one or two lunches that I can take in a cool lunchbox would be most helpful. Sourcing items shouldn’t be a problem at all. The grocery with the largest Kosher section in town is right across the street from the JCC. Also any idea for a protein-type bar that’s Kosher for Passover? I have a suspicion that such a thing doesn’t exist. I’d guess they’d probably look the other way where a medical issue is concerned, but I’d really just rather not, if I don’t have to, and I have plenty of time to plan.
Hi there, proud card carrying Jew here. People celebrate Passover in different ways - for example, I do eat some of the things that others wouldn’t consider k-for-p (it’s complicated - look up “kitniyot.”). The five grains that are considered “hametz” and not kosher under any standard for Passover are: wheat, barley, spelt, oats, and rye. There are some people who eat “kitniyot” on Passover – Sephardic Jews, many Israelis, or those who adopt the tradition, like me! – If you think that is acceptable, you could try quinoa or rice instead of barley.
I would highly doubt that there are any Kosher for Passover protein bars - you could probably make one, with nuts and something sticky to hold it together.
I will also say that the JCC here is not Jews only, and there are many families who attend who are not Jewish. It is very considerate of you to respect their kashrut policy. I honestly think that as long as you aren’t shoving a sandwich in someone’s face, you’ll be ok.
Portable lunches for Passover are certainly quite difficult! I am Jewish and do keep Kosher and follow Passover strictly. Generally, I resign myself to eating a lot more carbs on Passover than the rest of the year; however, there are things you can do. You said that you have access to a large Kosher section. In which case, you could get both cheese and yogurt that are Kosher for Passover. Also, you could get certified tuna or salmon for a protein lunch. Of course, you could get some fruit, if it fits your diet,
My typical Passover lunch at work - like I said, high carb - usually means matzoh and cream cheese, though I might take tuna and cucumber instead some days (like I do the rest of the year, frequently).
By the way, @yourhanner, most authorities have finally agreed that quinoa is NOT kitniyot. Rice, as you know, is, however.
@yourhanner - thanks for the heads-up on quinoa. I love quinoa! My BGs handle it pretty well. I could possibly do a quinoa salad once I figure out what to put in it. Most of the ones I’ve had usually involve beans or other no-go ingredients.
@Thas - Tuna or salmon would be a good choice. I’m not a huge fan of canned as, for some reason, I just find the pong that you get when having to drain the water in tuna rather stomach-churning. I’m OK with it once it’s drained. I could either buy canned and have my husband do it or… do you know of any brands that are KFP that are in the vacu-sealed pouches that I should look for?
The rules for Kosher are strange, archaic and confusing. Many people opt to just get prepared foods that have been certified. But I actually find that the easiest thing to do is just learn the simple rules for whole ingredients and prepare meals yourself. There is no such thing as kosher for passover broccoli, it is and has always been kosher (despite what some young Jewish boys might claim).
And one must understand the rules for Kosher vary. The Ashkenazic rules that @Thas talks about are one major set of rules (and they are themselves conflicted) and then there Sephardic rules. I am reform and take a very liberal stance towards Kosher rules. And I also recognize that for the sick or infirm (like someone with diabetes) there has always been a dispensation from the strict adherence to rules about fasting and diet. I work to enjoy Passover, make a couple extra briskets and eat them all week.
I was at the grocery store today and even though Passover is still 12 days away the bakery had a table marked “Kosher for Passover.” It was filled with several gluten items from Lilly’s Bakery, which indeed do seem to be kosher for Passover.
Unfortunately they also had out a whole bunch challah bread on the same table, which did have the kosher marking. The woman stocking the table was very confused when I explained to her that the challah was NOT kosher for Passover because it was a leavened bread.
The actual kosher section at this store turns out to be about 2-feet wide, and many of the products were definitely not KFP (instant soup with wheat noodles, for example), so I’ll need to go to the location across from the JCC.
Actually, food that is kosher-for-passover is what I eat all year round, as a low-carber. It’s only carbs that might be non-passover food. So i can continue to eat my usual proteins and vegetables and nuts, coconut oil, dry wine, on this holiday. (The only problem I have is that at the Seder night itself, we are required to eat a not small amount of Matzo. I do it… but only then, not for the next 8 days…).
The passover rules tell you to avoid food sources that might make leavened bread such as wheat, barley, rye, spelt or oats. But in fact leavening is about something that can be added to a food like bread to cause it to rise and fill with gas. Classically this was done with fermentation from yeast. But yeast feeds on sugars. Lots of foods contain sugars but are not in the banned grains. For instance you can ferment honey into mead and most consider that perfectly fine. And you can add chemical leaveners like baking soda or baking powder and nobody has a problem with that. And even matzo leaves me confused. It is essentially sterilized but if you wanted to you could use baking powder or soda to make matzo bread. As best I can tell, chemically leavened matzo bread is kosher for passover (at least in my part of the tribe).
I can never figure out any logic to this kosher for passover stuff.
And I am still looking for low carb matzo and low carb kugel.
Would true sourdough bread be kosher? Real sourdough is only flour and water, bakeries often add citric acid or yeast to make the bread rise quicker. I have made sourdough bagels, they were yummy. No longer have the recipe but I found it on the net.
Any kind of risen bread is not Kosher for Pesach (Passover). Whether sourdough bread is Kosher outside of Pesach (and to what degree, i.e. “OU” Kosher, Glatt Kosher, etc.) depends on the brand if commercially prepared, and on the individual ingredients plus whether it was prepared in a kashrut kitchen if homemade. “Kosher”, like a lot of Judaism (and diabetes, for that matter!), is kind of complicated…
As I said, I believe can technically make a risen bread by using a chemical leaven and using food sources like Matzo which is not Chametz (forbidden during passover). Whether or not your rabbinical authority would or would not allow this is a toss up (and might even vary between who you ask and result in an hours long debate over the rules).
I believe that, strictly (as in Ultra-Orthodox Hassidism) speaking, risen = Chametz. I know this because both of my daughters attended an Ultra-Orthodox Lubavitcher school for several years during which time most of my besties wore sheitels (but that’s another story for another time). I once prepared Kosher-for-Pesach Matzo with the Lubavitcher Rebbe himself and learned that (if memory serves) once you surpass the Halachaly (sp?) allowed 11 (?) minutes from start-to-finish, even though the Matzot looked and tasted the same to me (an Ultra-Reconstructionist, self-proclaimed Jew-Lite), it became Chametz because it was technically leavened once it hit the 12-minute mark (if the preparation wasn’t authoritatively finished at that point in time.) Then it was only fit for consumption by Goyisher acquaintances.
It’s generally 18 minutes, though, like everything else, there are some deviations. In addition, the time can actually be extended, so long as the dough is being “worked,” since dough cannot rise when it’s being kneaded. The matzoh “factories” shoot for 12 minutes, so there’s time to clean up the work areas before starting the next batch. As to other things, the strict rules apply only to the “five grains” that were indigenous to the Land of Israel. All other products can rise as they want without becoming Chometz. (The topic of kitniyot is a relatively new custom that started less than 900 years ago in Ashkenazic communities and, while not used, is never “Chometz.”)
Meanwhile, I’ve gotta get back… my house is “upside-down!”
I’m actually in Israel right now, getting ready to celebrate Passover with some family over here.
I eat a very low carb diet and I’m in touch with some other PWD in Israel who follow the same diet and they all pretty much agreed that we sort of eat kosher for Passover year-round. They did mention making almond meal buns as a replacement for bread/matzos. I think during the Seder you’re required to eat a bit of matzo but really only a small bite, which shouldn’t be too bad.
