The next time you are in a supermarket, you may come across bottles of Coca-Cola that have forfeited their classic red bottle caps for yellow ones, signalling that Passover is upon us. “Many Jews observing the holiday of Passover,” reports the Business Insider, “refrain from eating anything categorized as “chametz”– leavened foods or foods with leavening ingredients made from barley, rye, oats, wheat, or spelt – for the duration of the holiday.” In this instance, Coca-Cola has substituted its high-fructose corn syrup (made from barley) with sucrose or cane sugar.
Although the yellow cap makes it easy to spot the Kosher beverage, it does occur to me that this is an unusual choice of colour to employ. For centuries, certain Jews were forced to wear yellow – be it yellow hats in Medieval times or yellow star patches during the Nazi era. These “badges” were a means to humiliate and, at times, target individuals of the faith. Generally, yellow is a cheery, uplifting colour. However, for some, it is a reminder of troubling times.