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

Dear Listpeople:

I really appologize for addressing the entire list, but this is mainly
for those on the list who live in Israel and have access to perishable
Israeli commodities. I don't have the e-mail addresses but wish to get
this info out. Besides, others may be interested anyway.

Two bits of news for the Passover-observant:
1. I called the Zoglobek company out of Nahariya to ask how their
kosher-for-Passover meat and chicken hotdogs differed from the regular
ones. I spoke to a "food engineer", as they call them here. He told me
that the "starch" is potato flour and the vegetable protein is soy. (So
the hotdogs are for kitniyot eaters). He suggested that I stock up and
freeze them. During the rest of the year they use wheat filler.

2. I also spoke to a rabbi, Prof. Moshe Trope from the Beer Sheva area,
in addition to another rabbi from the local Habbad house regarding what
celiacs can make during Passover that can resemble a cracker or
regualar matza. First, he said that celiacs are permitted to eat
kitniyot but that corn was "less serious" than rice. Then he said that
there is a bread mix that is kosher for Passover all year round that
contains cornflour, stabilizers and sugar that can be made into
"matzot." (I gave the recipe several weeks ago. If you want it again,
post me privately.) It replaces the "Bar-Kat" mix and is called
"Marmolight", in the same kind of packaging.

3. I also asked him about the nature of tapioca. Tapioca comes from the
cassava plant and is actually considered a root. So, there is no
problem with a "grain" or kitniyot classification. Tapioca is permitted
on Passover, so any matza recipe you come up with using potato starch
flour and tapioca flour would be kosher for Passover for even the
strictest Ashkenazi. (I would suggest a trial and error method - ie.
adding more potato starch and tapioca until you get the right rolling
consistency - adding 1 egg and water and a bit of salt.)

I hope this is good news to any interested parties.

Sharon Marcus