How To Do a Nut-Free Pesach
Nut allergies have become increasingly popular over the past few decades. In fact, on average, it affects over 3 million Americans every year. Living with a nut allergy is a challenge, especially during Pesach, where most recipes, particularly cakes, cookies, and sweets, have some form of nuts.
Since 2005, the law requires companies to label all their food products for allergens. However, many products still might have cross-contamination. During Pesach, many of the packaged kosher for Pesach foods have cross-contamination with nuts. Many factories produce many different types of food, some of which contain nuts. This causes cross-contamination with their food, thereby making these packaged foods problematic for those with food allergies.
The Seder night
On Pesach, the Seder menu may feature a few problematic dishes. Many people like to make chicken soup with matza balls. Many Matza ball mixes contain almonds. Therefore, we recommend that you make homemade Matza balls or call the company that makes the mixture and double-check that they don’t have any cross-contamination with almonds.
Additionally, one of the essential foods of the Seder is the Charoset. Charoset is a mixture of apples, cinnamon, wine, and nuts. So, people with nut allergies must make homemade Charoset to avoid having a reaction. Finally, almost all of the cake mixes, cookies, and sweets have nuts in them. We recommend that you make some simple homemade desserts that aren’t pre-packaged.
Pre-packaged food
Many foods that are safe during the year aren’t safe during Pesach. Food such as pasta, chocolates, tomato paste, sauces, cake mix, cereals, and even some oils have traces of the nut allergen. This makes cooking on Pesach very hard. Here are some tips:
- Keep the menu simple – make simple meals with minimal ingredients. For example, for breakfast, make a simple omelet with vegetables instead of cereal and yogurts.
- Do your research in advance – while it can be hard to find kosher for Pesach packaged food that is safe from nuts, it isn’t impossible. Do your research at least a month before Pesach. Call the food companies and ask them how the food was made and try to determine if there is any cross-contamination.
- Make homemade food – many allergy-free recipes are great for Pesach. By making homemade food, your family gets a delicious meal, and you can rest easy and know that your child won’t have an allergic reaction.
Conclusion
Pesach is an incredibly challenging holiday for people who have a nut allergy. Most pre-packaged foods aren’t safe, and many of the classic desserts and dishes may contain allergens. Despite this, there any many ways to overcome this problem and have a happy holiday with your family!
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