Every year from the fifteenth through the twenty-second of Nissan, I refrain from eating one of my favorite food categories. Any normal person would think, “Why would anyone do that?” To which I would answer, “It’s Peseach.” Every year, sometime in March or April, observant Jews refrain from eating what we call chametz. Chametz literally means “leavened bread,” which includes any wheat, barley, rye, oats, or spelt products that have been fermented or exposed to water for over eighteen minutes. The alternative to chametz is matzah, which I think tastes like cardboard—but sometimes, it’s unavoidable.
Matzah V’Charoset
Potato Flour Kreplach
Matzah v’ Labne
Potato Kugel
Other less Jewish options include brisket, any meat with sauce (kosher meat and non-dairy sauce), fish, fruits, and vegetables. Over the years, certain foods like rice have been debated as chametz. In Sfaradi (Southern European) Jews, this has never been questioned as rice has been a significant part of their culture; however, in Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jewish culture, rice is Kitniyot (food similar to chametz) and could be contaminated by chametz.
I may be Ashkenazi, but I don’t observe kashrut strictly enough to care about cross-contamination, so I also don’t care about cross-contamination with the added chalacha (Jewish law) surrounding kitniyot during Peseach.