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As we explained above (section 3), the ĥametz prohibited by the Torah is limited to the five grains. In contrast, other foods such as rice and lentils cannot ferment according to halakha, and may be eaten on Passover. However, during the medieval period, about seven hundred years ago when many Jews migrated to cities, Ashkenazim stopped eating kitniyot on Passover.
What are kitniyot? While generally translated as “legumes” for the sake of simplicity, this is not an exact equivalence. Kitniyot include: rice, alfalfa, peas, millet, sorghum, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, mustard, buckwheat, black-eyed peas, soy, beans, lentils, green beans, poppy seeds, flaxseed, caraway, sesame seeds, and corn.
While the origin of this custom is shrouded in mystery, three principal reasons have been offered:
- City dwellers were less familiar with how different grains and legumes looked, and there was a concern they would confuse kitniyot with the five grains that can become ĥametz.
- The five grains were grown and stored in the same places as kitniyot, so there was a concern they would get mixed up. This reason is even more relevant today when most people are unacquainted with agriculture.
- Flour is made from some of the kitniyot. There was a concern people would mistakenly conclude that if kitniyot flour can be used on Passover, so can all flour.
In contrast, most Sephardim do eat kitniyot on Passover. They still require Passover supervision, and Sephardim usually make a point of checking the kitniyot well (to ensure no forbidden grains are mixed in with them). Some communities, such as Jews originally from Izmir (Turkey), do not eat rice. Many Moroccan Jews do not eat rice or other dried kitniyot. Everyone should continue to follow their family custom. When a married couple are from different communities, common practice is to follow the husband’s customs.
Even someone whose custom is not to eat kitniyot is allowed to have kitniyot in his home, and may even cook kitniyot on Passover for someone whose custom is to eat them. If someone sick needs to eat kitniyot, even those who are usually stringent will permit it. Similarly, one can feed kitniyot to children who require it.
