I’m not going to constantly write about Jewish holidays, but there are certain questions that need answering (such as can you blow out Hanukkah candles and why is some Matzo ok for Passover and some not). So to answer the question about where to get carbs on Passover (aside from, well, Matzo and Matzo ball soup), get it from quinoa – the superfood.

As far as I can tell, quinoa doesn’t fall into the category of being confused with wheat, possibly because it is technically a seed, and possibly because it was never “sold in the same form as wheat”, the trait that damns corn and beans to be avoided by Ashkenazis this week.

The Ashkenazic rabbis (probably around 10th or 11th Century AD) in Germany also prohibited what they called kitniot — basically, anything that was sold in grain-like form or might be confused with grain. Their prohibition included rice, millet, corn, and legumes. When in doubt, prohibit, on the grounds that it is better to be more strict in avoidance of foods than to be less strict and potentially violate the Biblical commandment not to eat leaven. Of course, corn (maize) was not known to Europe at the time, but when the New World crop made its appearance a few centuries later, it was quickly identified as kitniot and thus prohibited for Passover.