FACTS: Kosher for Passover?

By Kara

So you're invited to a Passover seder, and you're a cheesemonger: can you bring your favorite wedge to the seder? This simple question and the "Facts" heading on this post belie the complexities of kosher-for-passover cheeses.

For one thing, cheese is one of the few edible substances not built into the already filling seder meal. More controversial is the presence of our old friend rennet, which is often made from the stomach linings of cows and other animals (see our original rennet post here). Because rennet consists of enzymes harvested from the gut of an animal, rather than consisting of actual animal flesh, it is not considered a "meat product," and is therefore exempt from kosher laws prohibiting the mixing of milk and meat (phew!). However, in order to access this non-meat product, you still have to slaughter the animal host - so in order to get kosher rennet, both the animal involved, and the method of slaughtering, must be certifiably kosher. Different families will be more or less careful about checking on the kosher status of the rennet used in specific cheeses - but around Passover especially, better safe than sorry. There is also the possibility that a cheese has been exposed to environments that are not up to Passover standards, or that the cheesemaker has added vinegar to the product (which must also be certified kosher), or that the mold in your favorite cheese (e.g., if you like a good bleu) has been grown on bread.

There has been a recent push for reliably certified kosher-for-passover cheeses, which sound pretty yummy. (Check out Kosher Blog for some suggestions, especially if you're in the Boston area.) And there is a slew of traditional Passover meals that contain cheese (though it's probably best not to bring these dishes unsolicited).

But in the end, even if you found a delicious hunk of kosher cheddar, you still couldn't serve it with proper crackers. The conclusion: stick with the Manischewitz next year.

Sources:

- Wikipedia: "Kosher foods"

- Askmoses.com: "Why do dairy products require kosher certification for Passover?"

- About.com: "Passover dairy mains"