PrintA Beginner's Guide to Passover Coke
Photograph from mhaithaca on Flickr
Some people see the yellow caps or “OU-P” symbol and know exactly what's up. But to clarify, here are five things to know about Passover-friendly soft drinks:
1. Passover starts on April 9 this year, and usually a couple weeks leading up to the Jewish holiday, we start seeing Passover Coke.
2. All year long, corn syrup is kosher per se, except during Passover when Jews avoid most grains (see ya, corn). That means sodas are naturally kosher the rest of the year, but during the holiday, kosher needs to involve real sugar, not corn syrup.
3. Major soda brands that usually roll out special "Kosher for Passover" lines include Coke, Sprite, Sierra Mist, and Pepsi (and new this year, Pepsi Throwback is also made with real sugar). The deli's mascot drink Dr. Brown's also does their black cherry and cream soda varieties in two-liter bottles and six-pack cans. Sorry, no progress on Cel-Ray yet. Here is a full list of other Kosher-safe beverages.
4. Most average grocery stores will carry the sugar-bearing goods. You shouldn't have to make a special trip to a Jewish neighborhood. According to UOKosher.org, focused areas include: the New York metropolitan area, Boston, Baltimore-Washington, Miami, Atlanta, Houston, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles.
5. So where exactly can you buy Passover Coke? Gothamist reports that bottles can be already spotted at the Upper West Side and Harlem Fairways, and keep your eyes peeled at most Key Foods, Associated, and A&P stores. For more national info, check out this thread on BevNet.
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25 Comments:
This was so interesting - I didn't realize soda had to become kosher for passover, but sent this link to my sister, who converted to Judaism about 10 years ago - she laughed at me saying her family stocks up on the sugar-based soda big time when it comes in - tastes better, she says. I learned something new!
Maureen at 2:43PM on 03/26/09
It definitely tastes better. We buy it up for my uncle during this time since he's allergic to corn.
Laurel E at 2:46PM on 03/26/09
I keep kosher and don't drink soda more than a couple of times a year, but I usually buy a couple of these for friends and family. I hear from a lot of friends from Central and South America that they stock up now too because it tastes like the corn syrup–free Coke they drank at home.
Stufsocker at 3:07PM on 03/26/09
i misread the title and thought u were going to talk about Cake....
blondee47 at 3:20PM on 03/26/09
Haha, poor blondee47, bring on the passover cake recipes!
I am all too familiar with Passover Coke. I don't keep strict kosher throughout the year, but on Passover - EVERYTHING i consume needs to be hechshered (have a symbol that its kosher for Passover/supervised by a Rabbi).
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 3:42PM on 03/26/09
PASSOVER COKE! PASSOVER COKE! It's time for PASSOVER COKE!
As a lifelong New Yorker, I look forward to Passover as much as I look forward to Halloween and Easter.
My only religion is Pure. Cane. Sugar.
Suuuuuugaaarrrrrrrrr.
missbhavens at 4:14PM on 03/26/09
In fact if you look at a bottle of Kosher for Passover Coca Cola it lists the sweetner as "sucrose", not "sugar". Why would they do that? Are they saying it is not cane sugar but (say) beet sugar?
The only true proper, reliably sugared Coke that we can get in the USA is Mexican Coca Cola. Kosher for Passover Cocke is pretty good, but Mexican Coke is better and it comes in small bottles.
monkeyboy at 4:26PM on 03/26/09
Agreed, Monkeyboy. Kosher for Passover Cocke is the best Cocke of them all.
I wish it came in bigger bottles though.
radiatedchimp at 4:32PM on 03/26/09
@monkeyboy: Cane sugar is sucrose. So is beet sugar. I suspect that they just want the label to be usable regardless of which source their sucrose comes from.
A sucrose molecule consists of a glucose molecule bonded to a fructose molecule. My understanding of high-fructose corn syrup is that it, too, consists of fructose and glucose, though the ratio of fructose to glucose is, well, "high."
Lorenzo at 5:16PM on 03/26/09
Give love to the sugared Dr. Brown's! The pesahdikh Dr. Brown's makes amazing floats with homemade vanilla ice cream. The floats might be the best part of the holiday (right after after the matzoh crunch, the flourless chocolate cupcakes, my husband's smoked salmon frittata, and the annual shot of Slivovitz).
Mizbee at 6:57PM on 03/26/09
Fox's-U-Bet chocolate syrup is much better with cane sugar than (blech) corn syrup. Stock up to improve your egg creams year round.
--Guttergourmet
guttergour at 8:39PM on 03/26/09
Has anyone seen any yet? I've been hunting for it for the past week.
MikeA at 8:55PM on 03/26/09
Just picked some up at the newly opened Fairway in Paramus, NJ - and they had a huge selection...regular, diet, caffeine free - not to mention Pepsi and Mr. Browns. Happy hunting!
Mdotmet at 9:02PM on 03/26/09
Sob, being in mid-Oklahoma, maybe I should just look for some Mexican Coca-Cola...
comicsan at 10:01PM on 03/26/09
It's been available in a lot of supermarkets on Long Island for at least the past week. It's definitely available in some of the local Stop n' Shops in Nassau County, not to mention some Shop Rites. I believe there were some in Fairway as well, but I can't say with any certainty on that one.
I mean, I would have looked but I already stocked up earlier in the week. ;)
First Chair at 1:51AM on 03/27/09
I got a case (8 two liter bottles) at Acme. They had a good amount of stock, a whole display of it. Maybe its because last year I kept asking and asking and finally they brought in a small amount right near passover.
We dig some kosher coke around here.
JerzeeTomato at 2:55AM on 03/27/09
I can't believe I never knew this! I was in Rite-Aid pharmacy yesterday and I saw this next to the regular ones and pointed out to the stocking clerk that this had a yellow cap with Hebrew on it. We both shrugged and I picked up a bottle. I did notice it tasted different and stupid thoughts crossed my mind (Guess they make it different in Israel, how did we get it on our shelves?) Hahaha, I am stupid.
Big B at 10:28AM on 03/27/09
Oh and in the city, I always find the glass Mexican coke bottles for $2 to $2.50, at Rite Aid the full 2 liter bottle is $1.79 :)
Big B at 10:33AM on 03/27/09
the costco here has the mexican coke all year round, and i can always find it in the mexican grocery stores too
sfred at 12:53PM on 03/27/09
Grains are non-kosher? WTF? Is this some sort of anti-egyptian thing?
SmokedMeat at 3:41PM on 03/27/09
@smokedmeat: Like the article says, grains are normally kosher, but during Passover extra rules apply. In this case, that Jews may not eat anything that can leaven (i.e. cereal, of which corn is one). This is to commemerate that the Jews had to leave Egypt in a hurry, and could not wait for their bread to rise.
In serious observant households, there is no grain allowed in the house during passover - which includes grain based spirits. My uncle actually sells all his liquor to the neighbor before Passover and then buys it back afterwords.
nowonder at 5:44PM on 04/02/09
Isn't Canadian Coke also made with sucrose and not corn syrup?
Marshmallow at 3:00PM on 04/03/09
Make sure to read the label when you pick up that bottle of imported Mexican Coke - it's not always made with sugar (I learned this the other day when I went down to my corner Mexican market and picked up a bottle - checked the label and sure enough, imported from Mexico and made with corn syrup. Boo!)
moreace01 at 3:55PM on 04/07/09
There's also no way to know when Mexican coke was made/imported. Kosher coke is only made for Passover, so you know it's fresh. Not that pop is like beer and goes skunky or anything, but I love me some fresh Kosher coke. We have one really good big chain grocery store in a certain part of town that has a big special Kosher section and we stocked up. Not all for us, but over 3 weeks or so we purchased around 30 2-liters. It'll be gone before summer's here. We only feel a little guilty about not being Jewish and buying it all up...Wish coke would just catch on and switch it all!
MaresyDotes at 11:12PM on 04/08/09
Wow - this is wonderful. Not being Jewish, I've never paid much attention to Kosher, but being allergic to corn and especially corn syrup, I will definitely look for passover foods now.
Soda isn't a real big deal because my favorite is Diet Coke, which tastes nothing like Coke - so I am not interested in switching.
But, it is really hard to find corn free foods. In fact, I wonder if those eating Kosher know that corn is hidden everywhere. For example, the glue on envelopes is frequently corn based and that bottle of OJ with a little citric acid added may have gotten that citric acid from corn. I know that sounds crazy, but with all of the corn subsidies, citric acid can be gotten from corn for less money than other sources,
Luckily, I am not as allergic as some people, because I find it almost impossible to avoid corn. I take Allegra and it is normally enough to control the itching in my hands for the small amount of corn I do ingest. For example, I gave up on avoiding baking powder, but buy organic because there is not much organic corn syrup - yet.
KimJSCP at 12:34PM on 04/09/09