When I lived in America, the only simonim we ate on
leil Rosh Hashonoh were pomegranate, fish head, and
apple with honey. Here in Eretz Yisroel, I became acquainted
with several additional simonim, most of which need to
be checked for bugs. Some are even muchzak betola'im.
It's certainly not a good siman to eat insects on Rosh
Hashonoh!
1. Fish head. Certain fish, including carp and salmon, have
parasites inside the head and in the folds of the skin on the
outside of the head. The parasites are clear (see-through) and
have a black head. If the fish was bred in a pond and the pond
was sprayed with insecticides, there is no problem. Conditions
vary from place to place as to which fish harbor parasites, so
check with your local Rov.
In Yerushalayim, the easiest way out of this is to use the
head of fresh carp or kassif (silver carp). These fish
are bred in fish ponds. Tnuva Yerushalayim has a special
mashgiach who spot-checks every truckload of fresh carp
and kassif that comes into the city. If the sampling
that he checks doesn't have parasites, that shows that this
load of fish came from ponds that were sprayed. If he finds
bugs in any of the fish, he rejects the whole load. All you
have to do is wash the head well, inside and outside.
The same thing holds true for carp and silver carp bought in
any fish store in Eretz Yisroel that has a good
hechsher.
Salmon heads harbor parasites and must be thoroughly cleaned
and checked, even if bought in a store with a hechsher.
Unless you've been shown what the bugs look like, it's not
advisable to use the head of the salmon.
2. Dates (tamri). In dried dates there may be beetles
inside the flesh of the date. They're black or brown, and when
the date was dried they died and dried up with it. Brown
gritty crumbs on the inside of the date in the pit area are
insect droppings. There may also be dead ants or beetles stuck
onto the outside of the fruit.
To check, slit the date open lengthwise. Hold it up to the
light, allowing the light to shine through. Check from both
sides. With the light shining through, the date becomes
transluscent. If you see a dark line inside the flesh, which
is opaque against the light, it's most likely a beetle. You
may remove it and use the rest of the date. If you find insect
droppings in the pit area of a particular date, don't use that
date.
3. Black-eyed peas (rubya). These are available either
fresh (like fat string beans) or dried (white beans with a
black spot). Both varieties are quite buggy. Even when I tried
getting the dried beans from America, I found a lot of
infested ones.
To check fresh black-eyed peas, slit each pod open and check
inside for worms.
For dried black-eyed peas, soak them overnight in a large bowl
or pot of cold water (covered), or for 2 hours in boiling hot
water. After the beans have expanded from the soaking, take a
handful at a time on the palm of your hand and examine them.
You're looking for holes or dark spots under the skin. Turn
the beans over onto the other hand and check the other
side.
If you find a hole in a bean, remove that bean. If you find a
dark spot, peel the bean and see what's underneath. It may be
just a discoloration on the peel or on the bean, or it may be
a cavity in the bean with a worm inside. If you find 3 or more
beans with holes and/or worms (don't count discolorations),
you should halve every bean in the batch and check in the
center for pupae (cocoons).
4. Beet greens (silka). See last week's issue, on the
recipe page.
5. Crook-necked squash (kra). Does not require
checking. (Doesn't have much taste either).
6. Leek (karti). Rinsing the vegetable whole from the
outside is not effective, since the insects are hidden between
the thin layers. All the sections of the leek must be
separated and washed.
a. Cut off the root with 1/4 inch of the white part of the
leek and discard.
b. Separate the green leaves from the tube.
c. Slit the tube open lengthwise and separate it into
individual layers.
d. Soak all the pieces in a basin of soapy water for about 3
minutes and rinse well, or rinse each piece under a strong
stream of running water while rubbing the entire surface on
both sides with your fingers.
Pay special attention to the area where the green leaves join
the stalk. There is a sticky triangle there that insects stick
to.
Maybe you just want to stick to apple and honey?
Kesivah vechasimah tovah to all!
