# Kosher for passover milk **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 1, 2001, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-for-passover-milk/60325 "2001-04-01T01:42:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2001, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-for-passover-milk/60325/1 "2001-04-01T01:42:39Z")
My local grocery stocks a pretty good variety of kosher foods but I had never seen milk that was marked kosher for passover. What’s the deal with that? How is it different from ordinary kosher milk. I also saw kosher for passover pizza mix. Aside from it being thin crust how else would that be special fo rpassover? ---
**Author:** ![sethdallob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@sethdallob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sethdallob)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2001, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-for-passover-milk/60325/2 "2001-04-01T01:55:30Z")
WAG here, but maybe the milk has to be extracted by a rabbi? ;j (sorry I just saw the thread as a perfect excuse to use that smilie) On a more serious note, I don’t think there is a globule of difference between Kosher milk and Kosher for Passover milk, except for the fact that some rabbi hasn’t “christened” it so. Then again, I haven’t celebrated passover in over 6 years, and take special delight in eating bacon cheeseburgers for passover, so I’m probably not the best person to answer your question. ---
**Author:** ![Ankh\_Too](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ab097/32.png) [@Ankh\_Too](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ankh_Too)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2001, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-for-passover-milk/60325/3 "2001-04-01T02:02:06Z")
I believe it has to do with whether or not the dairy or processing plant goes through the ritual cleaning at Passover. That’s the explanation i was given as to why some ice cream is considered kosher for passover and some is not. ---
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2001, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-for-passover-milk/60325/4 "2001-04-01T02:06:20Z")
It’s the old argument that someone could be eating his lunch of ham and cheese on white bread while stirring the vat of milk at the factory. ;j ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2001, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-for-passover-milk/60325/5 "2001-04-01T02:10:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sethdallob \* > **…some rabbi hasn’t “christened” it…** :rolleyes: I’m a gentile and that made my head hurt. I can see that those bacon cheeseburgers wouldn’t bother you much. ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2001, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-for-passover-milk/60325/6 "2001-04-01T03:26:20Z")
Kosher for Passover Pizza mix (which is probably vile, BTW), isn’t just thin crust. The dough for the crust would, at best, be made of ground up matzah plus other stuff. Most people that I know just make matzah-pizza, which is matzah with cheese and tomato sauce on it. Yeah, kosher for Passover milk is exactly the same as other milk except that extra precautions are taken that it never ever ever has the slightest chance of coming in contact with chametz (leavened stuff). Orthodox Jews will freely admit that they’re completely paranoid about Passover foods, far more so than they are about kashrus during the year - the laws are much much stricter, and it’s considered to be a good thing to go overboard about Passover kashrus (kashrus being the noun form of the adjective kosher). I don’t think that I’ve ever met a rabbi who christened anything :). ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2001, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-for-passover-milk/60325/7 "2001-04-01T03:39:32Z")
Thanks for the info. I didn’t think it would be different as other passover foods are. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2001, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-for-passover-milk/60325/8 "2001-04-01T03:45:12Z")
[teenage boy anecdote] When I was about fourteen, my friend’s father owned a dairy. He told me that the ‘rabbi’ would come into the plant, say a _brucha_ and thereby pronounce the milk kosher for pesach. Upon completion, he would issue my friend’s dad wads of stickers to be placed on the approved milk stating that “this product is kosher for Passover”. Well, my pal pilfered a few of the stickers, went to the nearest supermarket, and placed them on various items including loaves of bread. He swore to me that people bought them. [/teenage boy anecdote] ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2001, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-for-passover-milk/60325/9 "2001-04-01T03:48:11Z")
I forgot to say that the stickers had printed on them the official seal of approval from the Rabbinical Association (or whatever) as well as the Hebrew script testifying to their genuine status. ---
**Author:** ![affinity292](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/cdc98d/32.png) [@affinity292](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/affinity292)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-for-passover-milk/60325/10 "2013-04-01T00:05:33Z")
Hi. I thought I’d jump in. Regarding a Rabbi “blessing” the food to make it kosher (and then providing stickers) that makes for a great teen story. But, it just a story. Kosher certification has nothing to do with blessing. A “kosher certification” means that “some organization” is claiming that they have inspected the production and that the food item is “kosher.” Nothing more. Nothing less. So, this means: 1. There is no blessing. 2. The “certification” is only as good as the organization issuing it. People trusting it are trusting the certifying organization’s reputation and integrity. 3. None of them will just “show up” and do anything and then issue it. By certifying it, they are certifying that someone was there during the entire production process to verify that no one did anything to render the food non-kosher. I knew someone who used to work for an organization and certified for a potato chip company. So, on the days the company made the brand in question, he would be there the entire time to observe and make sure that not only was the “plan” kosher but that people stuck to the plan. What does “kosher” really mean? It means ok to eat under the Jewish Food rules, which come from the Bible. The nutshell version is that one cannot mix meat and milk. Anything that is vegetarian is ok. Meat can only be an animal that chews its cud and has cloven hoofs, that meets certain standards of health of the animal and animal kindness in its treatment, and that it is killed according to the rules of Kosher. If it swims in the water, it has to have fins and scales. For kosher for passover milk, the main one of the main issues are the added vitamins. Are the vitamins kosher for passover. [http://www.askmoses.com/en/article/199,2097497/Why-do-dairy-products-require-Kosher-certification-for-Passover.html](http://www.askmoses.com/en/article/199,2097497/Why-do-dairy-products-require-Kosher-certification-for-Passover.html) I used to make fun of certain non-edibles having certification until I learned more about the production. For example, Plastic Wrap. It is made on giant Industrial Spools that get turned into market versions. How do you get the plastic off the spools? There is a thin coating of oil on the plastic. Is the oil vegetable oil or animal fat? Some companies buy whatever is cheapest on the commodities market when they need more. Using animal fat would make it non-kosher. Other ingredients are “hidden” non-kosher items. It is not less common. But, for years, companies that wanted to make food “red” and wanted to be able to say they used “no artificial coloring” would use “carmine.” What is it? Ground up beetle wings. Non-kosher. Would most people eat yogurt or drink red grapefruit juice with ground up beetle wings listed? Nope. But, carmine… that sounds innocent enough. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-for-passover-milk/60325/11 "2013-04-01T02:28:03Z")
**Karl** , I know it’s late in the day for this comment to effect your choice of friends, but your pal was a royal asshole. Doubtful he was son of a Rabbi (hence your scare quotes?), although stranger things have happened. And there is no magic _brocha_ declaring something Kosher, unless a Rabbi makes the _chametz_-is-as-gone statement a gazillion times and eats there, or something improbable even with extreme Talmudic torsion. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-for-passover-milk/60325/12 "2013-04-01T13:05:08Z")
Just to note, today is a holiday for Orthodox and Conservative Jews (the last two days of Passover, NOT April Fool’s Day), so those with the most knowledge probably won’t be posting until Wednesday. However, I can echo what others have said. Orthodox Jews tend to be hyper about Passover. When we were young, there was a publication called something like “The College Student’s Guide to Passover” that gave a list of foods that don’t need certification to be kosher for Passover. That certainly included things like milk and coffee. Nowadays, with all the additives and what-not, I can understand people being slightly paranoid about it. The bible cites that the penalty for eating khametz (“leavened foods”) is severe (we don’t quite know really what the Hebrew means, but it’s that “the soul will be cut off.”) And, in addition, the biblical texts (around 1200 - 500 BCE) don’t define hametz, so we go by rabbinic traditions and interpretations (around 100 BCE to 200 CE.) As newer foods and processes were discovered/invented, the rules became very complicated over the centuries. Anything that touched khametz becomes itself khametz (so that the plates that you served bread on during the year cannot be used in a traditional home during Passover.) Thus, not only do we find milk certified for Passover, but sponges, steel wool, detergent, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shinna_Minna_Ma)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-for-passover-milk/60325/13 "2013-04-01T19:05:08Z")
> [@affinity292](#): > > Hi. I thought I’d jump in. On a thread that’s 12 years old? > [@](#): > > Just to note, today is a holiday for Orthodox and Conservative Jews (the last two days of Passover, NOT April Fool’s Day), so those with the most knowledge probably won’t be posting until Wednesday. Except here in Israel, where the holiday is only one day. At this point our Pesach/Passover dishes are put away, and I will be heading out soon to pick up the most delicious freshly baked bagels. I wish I could remember the Pesach kashrut rules about milk from when we were in the U.S., but I’m drawing a blank. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-for-passover-milk/60325/14 "2013-04-01T23:21:10Z")
All I know is that there’s a lot of only to be made by some companies during Passover. And I just saw Kosher For Passover SALT WATER in a supermarket recently. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-for-passover-milk/60325/15 "2013-04-02T01:00:26Z")
For _fleischig_ I use [Flora Danica](http://www.michaelcfina.com/tableware/formal-china/banded/royal-copenhagen-flora-danica-CHROYCFLDA.html). My family is from Greece, so we go through a lot of plates. I use these [dings](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ding_ware) for _milchig_. For Passover (always _fleischig_) I always use [these dishes](http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/100035854?rpp=60&pg=1&ft=*&what=Tableware&pos=4), which is, one might say, a family heirloom. (A thought mentioned often in the Seder is that the historical events we talk about are no different for each generation.) ---
**Author:** ![Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shinna_Minna_Ma)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-for-passover-milk/60325/16 "2013-04-02T04:03:05Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > All I know is that there’s a lot of only to be made by some companies during Passover. And I just saw Kosher For Passover SALT WATER in a supermarket recently. And there are many idiots who probably bought it. ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-for-passover-milk/60325/17 "2013-04-03T02:47:17Z")
I suspect a lot of products are not regarded as kosher simply for want of a heksher, and I suspect that’s equally true for Passover. But the rules do seem to be a bit stricter for Passover, if only because in a (nearly) entirely Jewish community, it’s possible angels on horseback are a merely theoretical threat, but there’s flour all over. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-for-passover-milk/60325/18 "2013-04-03T02:57:43Z")
Question: is fish considered meat according to Kosher dietary laws? Like, is it okay to have fish and dairy? ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-for-passover-milk/60325/19 "2013-04-03T03:53:25Z")
> [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](#): > > … But the rules do seem to be a bit stricter for Passover, if only because in a (nearly) entirely Jewish community, it’s possible angels on horseback are a merely theoretical threat, but there’s flour all over. 🙂 For a momentary second I thought this was a poke at casuistry. I’m still not even sure what they are. Oysters with bacon? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-for-passover-milk/60325/20 "2013-04-03T11:19:28Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Question: is fish considered meat according to Kosher dietary laws? Like, is it okay to have fish and dairy? Yes, fish can be eaten with dairy. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-for-passover-milk/60325.md?page=2)