<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Passover is coming and the products are hitting the supermarkets (depending upon where you live). This is my annual message to the list to clarify the relevance of Passover for celiacs. 

The good news around Passover time is that food labels are clear, and there are many more products out there that are available to us. And if something is gluten-free, it's truly gluten-free, no worrying about contamination! No worrying about parts per million. In order to have that label (for religious reasons), the product is supervised every step of the way, so no wheat, oats, barley, or rye has come in contact with it and the manufacturers must clean all of their machinery.

At Passover time, I look for frozen tv dinners, egg noodles, sauces, condiments, cookies, cakes, etc., and I stock up for during the year. (Gefen egg noodles are particularly good.) Be wary of the cakes and cookies. They sometimes look better than they taste. 

1. How to shop:
If a products says matzah, cake meal, matzah meal, or farfel (or any similar spelling of these), it has wheat. 

If a product says Kosher for Passover (or has a Kosher symbol, such as a small u encircled by an o, and has a small p after it), and it does NOT say mitzvah, cake meal, matzah meal, or farfel, it will not have wheat, oats, barley or rye, and IT IS GLUTEN-FREE. 

If a product says Kosher for Passover and says "non-gebrochts", it is also GLUTEN-FREE. Gebrochts refer to anything that will expand or rise when exposed to liquid, such as legumes and grains, so non-gebrochts are inherently GLUTEN-FREE. 

2. Gluten-free matzah is made from oats and must be imported from Israel or England. I googled and found this website.  http://www.glutenfreeoatmatzos.com/  . I never ordered it and have no idea how edible it is.

3. Guest at a seder:
Oy vey. The key is being able to discuss the gluten-free diet with the host beforehand, and determine what your comfort level is. Contamination is a big issue. So much is made with matzah, and the kitchen will be busy. I highly suggest eating before you go, or if the host doesn't keep a kosher home, ask if you can bring your own food. If the person does keep a kosher home, it really wouldn't be right to bring your own food unless the host is ok with it.

Last year, I went to a friend's house. She is a wonderful host and accommodated me better than relatives have. (And the best part, she didn't make me feel awkward about it.) I will be traveling cross country this year  (to San Francisco) for Passover and may be going to a Community Seder out there, but I'll eat at home (in my motel room!) first, consider the fee a donation, and just enjoy the singing and camaraderie. 

If you want further explanations, you can try googling Passover, for the religious reasons for clear labels.

Please don't flame me if the stores in your area do not carry a wide range of Passover products. One year, I got an angry email from someone in New Zealand. I'm just trying to be helpful. Passover products are available online. There is also kosher gluten-free site, but for some reason, I couldn't locate the URL today.


Lin in Southern New Jersey







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