hametz

Chametz, often translated as hametz, is any food made from the five grains—wheat, barley, rye, oats, and spelt—that has leavened or fermented. In Jewish law, such leavened products are prohibited during the festival of Passover (Pesach), and Jews abstain from eating, owning, or benefiting from chametz during the holiday. The term can also apply to products in which chametz is present in trace amounts.

Before Passover, households perform bedikat chametz, a ritual search for chametz, followed by bi’ur chametz, the destruction or disposal of any found chametz. Many people also engage in mekhirat chametz, a sale of the household chametz to a non-Jew to avoid ownership during the festival.

Chametz includes many common foods, such as bread, cookies, and beer, if they contain leavened grains. Some products may contain ingredients derived from wheat or other chametz grains even if not obvious. Foods marketed as kosher for Passover are prepared to be free of chametz. In many communities, kitniyot—rice, corn, beans, lentils, and related products—are avoided during Pesach, although they are not themselves chametz.

Passover observance lasts seven days in Israel and eight days in many communities abroad; the prohibition on chametz applies throughout the holiday. After Passover ends, chametz may be used again.