Will you eat Quinoa on Peisach?

Rav belsky held it’s kitnios, as it’s processed like the 5 grains, is a staple grain of its countries, is stored with the 5 grains, and is included in breads.

Rav moshe heiniman disagreed

no, but I don’t eat or like it the rest of the year, either

Yes

I don’t eat quinoa ever.

While we enjoy quinoa in my home, and we don’t hold that it is kitniyos, we won’t go out of our way to have it on Pesach. We eat gebrokts and there’s already enough vegetables and protein to eat.

If I am a guest in someone’s kosher home, I would have no problem eating quinoa on Pesach. I would draw the line at quinioa “bread”.

Rav Belsky would often say that it’s important to keep pesach minhagim, even those which seem irrelevant and dependent on European agricultural standards

You know the story with the Chayei Adam who wanted to asser potatoes and was told, you are taking away the chayei adam, person’s sustenance. The Geonim had no potatoes, so it was not assered even though we can make flower and bake with it. Maybe, a gezeira sh’ein rov hatzibur yecholim laamod bo, a prohibition that the majority cannot stand.

Yes I will be eating quinoa. But then again I agree with the Behag that the issur of kitniyos is a minhag Shel shtus, and I agree with the chacham tzvi that it’s a chumra hamevi leyidei Lilah and we should get rid of such nonsense.

So it seems there is agreement that the debate on quinoa is really a debate on whether one can use all kitniyos, in other words, if we can have hallah, pita and pizza made from grains (rice, corn/maize, quinoa) other than the one’s listed in Humash.

Machlokes Rav Belsky and Rav Heineman l’havdil. I do believe that one of Rav Belsky’s main concerns was that it’s grown near grain. The Star-K puts a hechsher on some quinoa and I think the majority now paskens like Rav Heineman.

Corn is different because we have a near unanimous consensus by early acharonim that it should be considered kitniyos. So we (Ashkenazim) don’t eat it because of mesorah.

Once quinoa becomes widely acceptable, and we get used to having bread, pita and pizza made from quinoa, it will be very hard to convince people they shouldn’t use corn (maize). They are both American Indian crops that aren’t among the prohibited grains, and that were used by the American Indians in lieu of the prohibited grains (since before 1492, they prohibited grains were unavailable in America). If you say quinoa is kosher le-pesach, you are calling into question the halacha against kitniyos.

AviraDeArah
I’m not belittling, I’m just saying that I agree with a rishon that the whole thing is shtus. Additionally, as I mentioned the Chacham Tzvi held it’s a bad minhag hamevi leyidei kulah. (as Reb Eliezer mentioned the reason being because it causes more matzos to have to be cooked and are rushed thereby causing ppl to eat chametz. And yes this happens till today. I stopped buying chatzos matzah when I once bought a par-cooked matzah).

@sensibleyid “Yes it seems COR (kashruth council of Canada) has finally relented and allows it“

Do you want have a source for that?

akuperman > If you say quinoa is kosher le-pesach, you are calling into question the halacha against kitniyos.

you are proposing a geder on the geder which is generally not done. We get so attached to our beloved minhagim that we “feel” that they are m’deuraita.

To say kitnius is shtus is not belittleing the rishonim. Rishonim were clear on why they forbid kitnius and the situation that was prevelant in the their region at the time is not relevant to modern day. No one has the guts to cancel a food related stringency, they would be considered modern othrodox. It is only fine to cancel holochos of derech eretz, bein Adam lechavero, or man’s chiyuvim to his wife, as well as many others are fine to cancel. But the more food chumros you pile on the greater you are, and you don’t even have to work on your character.

Thanks for that Reb E.
As someone who can’t eat wheat or potatoes i am very grateful for quinoa.

Am I reading too deeply here too? Disgusting comment. This applies to nobody, no rav or teacher has ever taught such an option. Unlike some factions perhaps where rewriting the halachos is much easier than actually respecting the ones given, no?

> It is only fine to cancel holochos of derech eretz

Mindful, I am with you on the main points, but maybe we should conclude the opposite – take a lesson from being respectful to medieval kitniyos and apply this attitude to middos.

Also, it is worth celebrating kitniyos – as the new agricultural method that grows beans and wheat in the same fields is responsible for northern Europe overtaking southern in population and power, and similarly of Ashkenazim over Sephardim

“If it has mainstream hechsherim why be machmir?..”

For the very reason that they are approved by “mainstream” hashgachos.. If the average frum yid is accepting a certain hashgacha, someone who wants to step above the “average” can only be machmir by relying on a non-mainstream, ultra-conservative hashgacha

AAQ, the “some” who are machmir on canned tuna include rav moshe feinstein. He held that there needs to be a mashgiach on the boat at all times, to prevent mixtures of tuna and crustaceans. Salmon may have been different, since it has a distinct color. The issue didn’t involve bishul akum as far as I know.

The OU allowed it, and certifies bumble bee and other companies that do not have full-time mashgichim. Rav Aharon kotler held this was acceptable.

Canned tuna was one of the very few things that rav belsky would not eat with an OU certification.

Gadolhadorah,

“If the average frum yid is accepting a certain hashgacha, someone who wants to step above the “average” can only be machmir by relying on a non-mainstream, ultra-conservative hashgacha”

Let’s not be so cynical. It’s been my experience that those who are “machmir” have reasons for doing so, such as not relying on a specific kula that an agency allows. Many therefore do rely on “mainstream” hashgachos for many items (same as other agencies!), but not for foods where the problematic kula is applied.

None of this has anything to do with derech eretz, mitzvos bein adam l’chaveiro, or spousal obligations. In fact, letting one’s own insecurities generate resentment towards other Jews who may be more stringent with specific halachos is in itself a violation of a mitzva bein adam l’chaveiro. Seriously, just get the chalav Yisroel, pas Yisroel, yoshon, heimishe hechsher, or whatever for your friend, use disposable/sealed packaging as needed, and show some love and respect, and you’ll find that you get it right back.

I couldn’t eat quinoa on pesach this year cuz I left it in the car. But I did make fake bagels from Quinoa flour. If anyone wants to make the argument that quinoa should not be okay because of the flour, taste my bagels first.