# No corn during Passover? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 2, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-corn-during-passover/685194 "2014-04-02T19:35:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-corn-during-passover/685194/1 "2014-04-02T19:35:51Z")
I was just reading that some Jews do not eat corn during Passover. Is this prohibition just to obvious stuff like corn or corn flour or to all corn-derived products? Because I’ve learned from Michael Pollan how ubiquitous corn-derived products are in American food. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-corn-during-passover/685194/2 "2014-04-02T19:57:41Z")
According to [this](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitniyot)corn is Kitniyot and is one of the forbidden foods for Passover and I would assume it would apply to all corn-derived products. From Wikipedia… “Kitniyot are grains and legumes such as rice, corn, soy beans, string beans, peas, lentils, mustard, sesame seeds and poppy seeds.” ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-corn-during-passover/685194/3 "2014-04-02T20:04:34Z")
Sephardic Jews don’t consider corn to be forbidden because it isn’t mentions in the bible. Maybe not all Sephardic Jews, but there is a difference of opinion on this subject. ETA: You will see that Pepsi, and probably other soft drinks are offered in throwback versions that don’t use corn syrup during the Passover season. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-corn-during-passover/685194/4 "2014-04-02T20:22:21Z")
IME serving seders in people’s homes, it’s been no corn during Passover; no corn syrup in anything limits a LOT of stuff (Cool Whip for example). But it’s just for a week, and those folks who didn’t want to keep their Kosher for Passover food fed goyische me very well for a few weeks after. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-corn-during-passover/685194/5 "2014-04-02T20:33:34Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > According to [this](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitniyot)corn is Kitniyot and is one of the forbidden foods for Passover and I would assume it would apply to all corn-derived products. > > From Wikipedia… “Kitniyot are grains and legumes such as rice, corn, soy beans, string beans, peas, lentils, mustard, sesame seeds and poppy seeds.” Yeah, but it also says: > [@](#): > > The Chayei Adam considers potatoes not to be kitniyot, and decided that because potatoes were unknown in the time when the prohibition was created they could not have been included in the prohibition (Sha’arei Teshuvah 453:1). This opinion is followed by nearly all Ashkenazi authorities. Which to me, begs the question of why potatoes are cool, but not corn? Clearly maize and potatoes are the two greatest New World food crops, and neither was known until sometime after 1492. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-corn-during-passover/685194/6 "2014-04-02T20:45:23Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Yeah, but it also says: > > Which to me, begs the question of why potatoes are cool, but not corn? Clearly maize and potatoes are the two greatest New World food crops, and neither was known until sometime after 1492. Language is part of the problem, at least in English where the word ‘corn’ meant ‘grain’, while potatoes are clearly not a grain. Ask two rabbis about this subject and you’ll get at least three different opinions. ---
**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 2, 2014, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-corn-during-passover/685194/7 "2014-04-02T20:45:24Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Which to me, begs the question of why potatoes are cool, but not corn? Because ground corn looks a lot more like wheat than mashed potatoes does. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-corn-during-passover/685194/8 "2014-04-02T21:13:02Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Yeah, but it also says: > > Which to me, begs the question of why potatoes are cool, but not corn? Clearly maize and potatoes are the two greatest New World food crops, and neither was known until sometime after 1492. Potatoes don’t swell in water. Under the Ashkenazic view, anything that swells in water is sufficiently grain-like to be forbidden during Passover. But corn syrup is indeed avoided by many, leading to the much beloved “Passover coke” made with sugar. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-corn-during-passover/685194/9 "2014-04-02T21:23:32Z")
> [@Nawth\_Chucka](#): > > IME serving seders in people’s homes, it’s been no corn during Passover; no corn syrup in anything limits a LOT of stuff (Cool Whip for example). But it’s just for a week, and those folks who didn’t want to keep their Kosher for Passover food fed goyische me very well for a few weeks after. But corn products doesn’t just mean corn syrup. Caramel coloring, for example, is an ingredient in Pepsi Throwback and it’s normally made from corn. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-corn-during-passover/685194/10 "2014-04-02T22:00:50Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > But corn products doesn’t just mean corn syrup. Caramel coloring, for example, is an ingredient in Pepsi Throwback and it’s normally made from corn. Pepsi Throwback and Kosher for Passover Pepsi are not quite the same thing, but they do both contain caramel coloring, as a point of data. That said, there apparently is [Kosher for Passover Caramel Color](http://www.sethness.com/caramel_color_facts/faqs.php#kosher) (and [here](http://www.bevindustry.com/articles/print/r-amp-d-news-23)), so I’m guessing that the caramel coloring must also be corn free to get Kosher for Passover certification. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-corn-during-passover/685194/11 "2014-04-02T23:38:38Z")
If you had pure caramel coloring, would a dog eat it? ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-corn-during-passover/685194/12 "2014-04-04T20:56:25Z")
I assume it is by analogy. Corn is a grain and grains are generally forbidden. And you can make a raised corn bread, although it is pretty flat without the gluten. Clearly potatoes are starchy roots (actually tubers, that is buried enlarged stems) analogous to things like beets and parsnips. Tomatoes and peppers are two other important New World crops, but they are analogous to other fruits. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-corn-during-passover/685194/13 "2014-04-05T01:03:55Z")
I think there should be a blessing for the soft margarine that goes on the matzoh. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-corn-during-passover/685194/14 "2014-04-05T01:29:02Z")
Anecdote: I baked a cake for someone who was allergic to corn. I used kosher confectioner’s sugar, because it isn’t mixed with corn starch. ---
**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 5, 2014, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-corn-during-passover/685194/15 "2014-04-05T12:38:10Z")
The Archives are your friend. I wrote a Staff Report on this a few years ago, see: [Why can’t you put cornstarch in your Passover cheesecake? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1440/why-cant-you-put-cornstarch-in-your-passover-cheesecake) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-corn-during-passover/685194/16 "2014-04-05T13:48:21Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > I assume it is by analogy. Corn is a grain and grains are generally forbidden. So why is matzo OK? Do you mean “non-wheat grains” are generally forbidden? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-corn-during-passover/685194/17 "2014-04-05T14:30:12Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > So why is matzo OK? Do you mean “non-wheat grains” are generally forbidden? It’s the leavening that’s the issue. Matzo is prepared in a manner that prevents the flour from rising. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-corn-during-passover/685194/18 "2014-04-05T15:25:12Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > It’s the leavening that’s the issue. Matzo is prepared in a manner that prevents the flour from rising. Yes, I know. But wheat is a gain, no? ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-corn-during-passover/685194/19 "2014-04-05T19:32:59Z")
Depends on the crop yield that season. Some years it’s a gain, some years it’s a loss. The “logic” of things absorbing water therefore being categorized as “grains” has always been bizarre to me. But then again, even raised as a Jew, most of the “logic” of those laws seems on par with the logic on display [in this historically accurate docu-drama](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp_l5ntikaU). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-corn-during-passover/685194/20 "2014-04-05T21:31:19Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Yes, I know. But wheat is a gain, no? A grain, yes. But it’s the only allowed to be used. It’s believed that the proper preparation occurs before the wheat is leavened. I have no idea why other grains are assumed to be possibly leavened. Perhaps it is only because rabbis are approving and inspecting the process of making wheat matzoh and not the processing of other grains. Also, I don’t know if the ancient Israelites knew that it was yeast that leavened bread. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-corn-during-passover/685194.md?page=2)