Can We Talk About…Kitniyot?
(As appeared in the Jerusalem Post ) With Passover ( Pesach ) quickly approaching, it might be a good time to start the discussion on Kitniyot. It is the question repeatedly asked: “Do you eat Kitniyot?” Let’s start with defining what is Kitniyot. According to the Orthodox Union (OU), it is an Ashkenazic minhag (custom) developed in the Middle Ages to not eat certain foods known collectively as “kitniyot.” The OU cites three reasons for the minhag : (a) kitniyot is harvested and processed in the same manner as chametz (leaven or food mixed with leaven), (b) it is ground into flour and baked just like chametz [so people may mistakenly believe that if they can eat kitniyot, they can also eat chametz], (c) it may have chametz grains mixed into it [so people who eat kitniyot may inadvertently be eating chametz ]. Although there were those who initially objected to the minhag , it has become an accepted part of Pesach in all Ashkenazic communities. It is interesting