ISRAEL: BIG MAC GOES KOSHER

(13 Apr 1995) Natural Sound

MacDonald's' outlets in Israel may be increasing their custom this weekend thanks to a brand new Passover bun which the hamburger chain claims is a world first.

Traditionally, Jews may not eat anything leavened during Passover week, so MacDonald's will be offering a special bun.

But many Jews say they wouldn't eat in a non-kosher restaurant anyway.

Although the fast-food chain does not normally provide kosher food, it has decided to make a special effort to cater for religious Jews during Passover.

MacDonald's doesn't normally make any concessions to the special dietary needs of the Jewish community.

Cheeseburgers, for example, mix meat and cheese - a combination forbidden under Jewish dietary law.

But for the Passover festival which begins this weekend, MacDonald's will be offering a bun made of potato flour.

Religious Jews do not eat anything leavened during Passover week.

Chicken nuggets will be coated not in breadcrumbs but crumbs from matzo - a flat, unleavened bread.

The hamburger chain believes the new recipe will provide a solution for Jews who want to stick to the rules.

SOUNDBITE:

Although MacDonalds is not a Kosher store, branch, we decided to have an answer for all the customers in Israel that don't eat bread in Passover. So we developed a special bun, from a potato flour and we have instead of breadcrumbs on the chicken and chicken nuggets, we have matzo flour on them. So that would be an answer for all the Israeli people who don't eat kosher but still want not to eat bread in Passover.
SUPER CAPTION: Ariella Padan, Manager, MacDonalds Ramat Gan


But MacDonalds food is not kosher - a system that forbids the combining of milk and meat products - so many Jews would not eat there anyway.

And many religious Jews say just changing the bread is not enough - in theory the entire contents of the kitchen should be changed during Passover week.

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