Is Cream of Tartar Kosher?
Cream of tartar (tartaric acid) is derived from non-kosher wine. Is it kosher?
Cream of tartar is a byproduct of wine making. Cream of tartar naturally separates from wine and forms crystals, often on the walls of the wine barrels. Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De’ah 123:16) discusses the status of cream of tartar that is found on non-kosher wine barrels. Shulchan Aruch rules that if one kashers the barrels or waits 12 months, then whatever crystals remain on the barrel are permitted. Any wine that was absorbed together with the crystals will have been removed or dried up, and the crystals themselves are not considered wine. Rav Belsky, zt”l reviewed the modern process for extracting and refining cream of tartar and concluded that it is even more effective at drying out the crystals then what was described by Shulchan Aruch. Today’s drying methods obviate the need to wait 12 months. Today’s cream of tartar is refined multiple times, and the final product consists of pure white crystals that contain no trace of wine. Therefore, cream of tartar is kosher even though it is a byproduct of non-kosher wine.
The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.