What Makes Food Kosher for Passover?

The Kosher aisle at the supermarket looks a bit different every spring. Along with the cherished yellow-capped Coca-Cola bottles, plenty of new and sometimes unusual-looking products (off-brand grain-free children’s cereals, canned macaroons in festive flavors) are stocked on shelves in preparation for the major Jewish holiday.

What makes these products, and this seasonally niche form of Kashrut, different from the typical Kosher groceries and meals consumed during the rest of the year?

Passover comes with its very own, one-week-only, set of eating guidelines for observant Jews. Kosher for Passover food adds more restrictions to the typical Kosher diet, honoring the legacy of the holiday and helping Jewish people around the world celebrate in a way very familiar to the religion: Through food. Here’s everything you need to know about Kosher for Passover fare before the holiday. 

What Is Passover?

Passover is a major Jewish holiday, commemorating the Israelites escaping from slavery in Egypt, as told in the Book of Exodus in the Bible. 

Like all Jewish holidays, Passover starts after sundown. The holiday starts on the 15th of Nissan on the Hebrew calendar and runs through the 22nd. The dates on the Jewish lunar calendar occur during the spring, typically in March or April.

In 2024, Passover starts on the evening of Monday, April 22. Jewish people observe Passover by holding seders the first two nights of the holiday. At Passover seders, folks gather to recount the story of Passover, depicted through ritual objects on a seder plate.

Throughout the week of Passover, Jewish people observe the holiday by keeping Kosher for Passover, an additional set of regulations that limit what belongs in the Kosher diet to commemorate the holiday. 

What's the Meaning Behind Observing Kosher?

Observing the laws of Kashrut, or keeping Kosher, is a year-round Jewish practice. Kosher dietary restrictions are observed as laid out in the Biblical book of Leviticus. Kashrut is about purity and cleanliness, and for many, eating exclusively Kosher food and keeping a Kosher household can represent a connection to God and/or millennia of Jewish tradition. 

All Kosher foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Jewish people vary in the ways they observe Kashrut and why this practice is meaningful to them. On the most basic level, keeping Kosher involves only eating fish with fins and scales (no shellfish or bivalves), only eating limited types of poultry (birds of prey are not permissible), and only eating animals that chew their cud and have split hooves (cows are fine, pigs are not). In Kashrut, meat and dairy can never mix, and all meat products must be raised, slaughtered, and processed in a specific manner. 

Any food that is not kosher, such as bacon, shrimp, or a cheeseburger, is considered traif (pronounced tray-ff).

What Is Kosher for Passover? 

Kosher for Passover food is Kosher food that follows an extra set of rules for the Passover holiday.

“Keeping kosher for Passover involves strict adherence to dietary laws and customs that have been observed for generations as part of the celebration of this important holiday in the Jewish calendar,” explains Shani Seidman, CMO of Kayco, the parent company of kosher food brand Manischewitz. 

“During Passover, certain grains, such as wheat, barley, rye, oats, and spelt, are prohibited in any form that may have leavened or fermented, known as chametz,” says Seidman. “Additionally, any food containing leavening agents or derivatives of these grains must be avoided. Foods that are only kosher, and free from these prohibited grains and derivatives are considered kosher for Passover.” 

There are a few versions of keeping kosher for Passover. Ashkenazi Jews, those with an Eastern European background, follow the strictest rules. Sephardi Jews, those with Middle Eastern or Spanish ancestry, consume a group of ingredients called kitniyot, which includes rice, legumes, corn, seeds, and more items that Ashkenazi Jews typically avoid during the holiday, because these ingredients grow when cooked, similar to bread rising. 

Keeping Kosher for Passover involves deeply cleaning one’s home to rid the space of chametz. Many Jewish people use a separate set of designated dishes, cookware, and kitchenware during the holiday. 

Where Does Matzo Fit In?

“Matzo is a traditional unleavened bread eaten during Passover to commemorate the haste with which the Israelites fled Egypt, leaving no time for their bread to rise,” says Seidman.

Crisp matzo is iconic to celebrating Passover, both a ritual object and a snack. Used on the seder plate and during the seder, matzo functions as a substitute for bread during the holiday. Matzo has a special set of regulations to be certified Kosher for Passover.

“To be considered Kosher for Passover, matzo must be made from one of five grains – wheat, barley, rye, oats, or spelt, mixed with water, and baked quickly to prevent fermentation, cooked in less than 18 minutes,” says Seidman.

What Are the 'New Rules' of Passover? 

Passover observance dates back hundreds of years, and like many things in the Jewish religion, traditions have evolved with modernity. In 2015, The Rabbinical Assembly decided that kitniyot are permissible to eat on Passover. Still, many adhere to the tradition of avoiding beans, rice, seeds, and corn. 

What Are the Kosher for Passover Symbols?

Foods that are Kosher for Passover are designated with symbols on the packaging.

“These symbols may vary depending on the certifying agency, but commonly include the letter "P" or the phrase "Kosher for Passover," in addition to the standard Kosher symbols such as OU,” says Seidman.

This article was written by Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner from Food & Wine and was legally licensed through the DiveMarketplace by Industry Dive. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.