What are the halachot about eating broccoli and cauliflower? How can I make them kosher (check them for bugs)?
Checking Broccoli and Cauliflower for Bugs
Question
Answer
It’s very hard; buy them only with a good hechsher.
Sources
The Torah forbids eating creatures that swarm on the earth: “they shall not be eaten.” This is why vegetables that tend to harbor insects are a real kashrut concern. The Shulchan Aruch rules that any produce that commonly becomes infested may not be eaten until it has been checked. The Rema adds that it is not enough to check most of it; everything must be checked, because the infested minority is common.
Thoroughly checking every floret of broccoli or cauliflower is very difficult. That is why the Rabbi advises buying them only with a reliable hechsher.
- Leviticus 11:41 — all things that swarm upon the earth are an abomination and may not be eaten
- Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De’ah 84:8 — produce that commonly gets wormy may not be eaten without checking; Rema: one must check all of it, not just the majority, since the infestation is a common minority
Author
Rabbi Shay Tahan
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