Roasted Foods at Seder
I know we’re not supposed to eat roasted meat at the Seder. What about other foods such as chicken or potatoes? Also, is pot roast okay?
The Aish Rabbi Replies:
The custom not to eat roasted meat at the Seder is an ancient one, mentioned in the Talmud (Mishna Pesachim 4:4). The reason is because since the Paschal Lamb was roasted (Exodus 12:8), eating roasted meat gives the appearance of eating a sacrifice which was not properly offered in the Temple. In Talmudic times the custom existed but was not universal, but today it is universal among Ashkenazi Jews as well as most Sephardim.
In terms of details, the custom extends to fowl since it resembles meat but not to fish, eggs or vegetables. It also extends to pot roast – to meat cooked only in its own broth (even though the Paschal Lamb itself had to be roasted on a spit). Finally, meat can be roasted and then cooked, but not first cooked and then roasted. (Sources: Shulchan Aruch O.C. 476:1-2, Mishna Berurah 1,9.)
