Kosher
Kitchen - Separating Dishes
Dishes and cooking utensils must be sorted
and stored in separate areas according to
Meat, Dairy and Parve. A color scheme is
very helpful: Meat - Red, Dairy - Blue, and
Parve - Green. Some kosher kitchen have two
sides: a Meat side and a Dairy side. [read
more]
Kosher Symbols
If you see any of the symbols that are
represented, it means "the food has been
inspected by one of the many kosher
certifying agencies in the United States.
Each agency identifies itself by its own
unique symbol."
Kosher Symbols List with Pictures
Types of foods
Meat
Kosher mammals must both have cloven hooves
and chew their cud. All kosher mammals are
artiodactyl herbivores that can be
domesticated, such as cows, goats, deer and
sheep. The Torah specifies certain birds
that are not kosher; in general, scavengers
are considered non-kosher. The modern
Halakha on kashrut classifies the flesh of
both mammals and birds as "meat".
Jewish law states that kosher animals must
be slaughtered according to a strict set of
guidelines, the slaughter (shechita) being
designed to minimize the pain inflicted. A
professional slaughterer, or (shochet), uses
a large razor-sharp knife with absolutely no
irregularities, nicks or dents. A single cut
is made across the throat, severing both
carotid arteries, both jugular veins, both
Vagus nerves, the trachea and the esophagus,
usually causing death in 3-4 seconds. (If
done improperly the death could take
minutes; this is true for any method of
slaughtering.) If the knife catches even for
a split second, or is found afterward to
have developed any irregularities, the
animal is not kosher and is sold as regular
meat.
Once killed, the animal is opened to
determine whether there are any
irregularities or growths (i.e. cancer), on
its internal organs, some of which can
render the animal non-kosher. The term
"Glatt" kosher means strictly kosher where
the glatt (lungs) are carefully examined for
adhesions (i.e. cancer). The word treif --
derived from the Hebrew treifah, meaning
"torn" -- originally referred to animals
which had been killed by wild beasts
therefore were not fit for human
consumption.
Large blood vessels must be removed, and all
blood must be removed from the meat, as
Jewish law prohibits the consumption of the
blood of any animal. This is most commonly
done by soaking and salting, but also can be
done by broiling. An interesting fact,
little-known outside of Jewish communities,
is that the hindquarters of a mammal are not
kosher unless the sciatic nerve and the fat
surrounding it are removed (Gen. 32:33).
This is a very time-consuming process
demanding a great deal of special training,
and is rarely done outside Israel, where
there is a greater demand for kosher meat,
since all meat sold in Jewish towns is
required to be kosher by law. When it is not
done, the hindquarters of the animal are
sold for non-kosher meat.
Dairy
Milk and milk-derived products derived from
kosher animals are always kosher. All milk
from cows is kosher. In practice, many
Orthodox Jews use only "Cholov Yisroel" milk
and dairy products; this label means that
the milk has been under constant rabbinical
supervision from milking to bottling, to
make sure that it is not adulterated with
the milk of a non-kosher animal. In the past
this was a serious issue; today this is not
a practical concern in the USA or in most
western countries. As such, most Modern
Orthodox rabbis and all Conservative rabbis
hold that FDA supervision is sufficient for
milk and dairy products to be considered
automatically kosher.
No mixing of meat and dairy
Milk products and meat products may not be
eaten together in the same meal, much less
cooked together. Jewish law thus mandates a
set of fence laws that prevent this from
happening. Jewish homes have two sets of
silverware, cookware, cups, and dishes. One
is for milk (Yiddish milchig, Hebrew halavi)
dishes, and one is for meat (Yiddish
fleishig, Hebrew bsari) dishes. This
prevents any trace of meat or dairy from
being accidentally mixed. (Foods that
contain neither milk nor meat are considered
"neutral" -- Yiddish parev, Hebrew parve.)
Jewish law considers glass (and some say
Pyrex) to be non-absorbent; thus, one could
use just a single set of glass plates and
dishes. In practice, this is rarely done not
only because of the cost, but also because
it is held that it would weaken the
traditional system of kashrut observance.
However, it is common even within the most
religiously observant households to allow
drinking glasses to be used for both dairy
and meat meals, as long as they are
thoroughly washed.
Various customs are observed for how long it
is necessary to wait after eating meat
before eating dairy foods again, and vice
versa. Waits of three hours and six hours
are the most common practices, though some
communities wait only one hour.
Kosher Wine ~ Here is a list of the laws.
# No wine may be produced from a vine until
its fourth year.
# The vineyard, if within the biblical
lands, must be left fallow every seven
years.
# Only vines may be grown in vineyards.
# From arrival at the winery, the grapes and
resulting wine may only be handled by
strictly Sabbath-observing Jews, and only
100 per cent kosher materials may be used in
the wine-making, maturation, and bottling
processes.
*The fourth law applies only to those who
handle the must or the wine itself.
What makes beer kosher?
Produce
All fresh fruits and vegetables are kosher.
Jewish law requires that they be carefully
checked and cleaned to make sure that there
are no insects on them, as insects are not
kosher (except Orthoptera, see below). In
the last century the laws of kashrut have
become much stricter in the Ultra-Orthodox
Jewish community; they refuse to eat many
vegetables, such as broccoli, because they
hold that such vegetables are too difficult
to remove tiny insects from.
Canned and frozen foods
Most such goods are usually permissible
since manufacturers add only water and
spices during the packaging process.
Sometimes, however, fruits or vegetables are
prepared with milk products or with
non-kosher ingredients such as non-kosher
meat broth. Orthodox Judaism thus holds that
canned and frozen goods should generally not
be consumed unless there is a heksher (mark
of rabbinical certification of kashrut) on
the product. Conservative Judaism often is
more lenient, and holds that a careful
reading of the ingredients is sufficient.
Grains and cereals
Unprocessed grains and cereals are kosher.
Processed items (e.g. dry cereals, baked
goods) often contain small quantities of
non-kosher ingredients. As such Orthodox
Judaism holds that these goods should
generally not be consumed unless there is a
heksher (mark of rabbinical certification of
kashrut) on the product. Conservative
Judaism often is more lenient, and holds
that a careful reading of the ingredients is
sufficient.
Grains and cereals during Passover
During the 8 days of Passover there are
additional restrictions on what foods may be
eaten. Jewish law forbids Jews from eating
any leavened or possibly leavened product
made from wheat, rye, barley, spelt, or
oats.
An Orthodox discussion of the kitniot
controversy
An Israeli Conservative discussion of the
kitniot controversy
Rabbinical Assembly Passover guide
Eggs
Eggs from kosher birds are kosher; they are
also considered pareve (neutral; neither
milk nor meat.) Eggs that contain blood may
not be used. A partially-formed egg which is
found inside of a slaughtered bird may be
eaten, but it must undergo the same process
of blood removal as the animal, and it is
considered to be fleishig.
Birds
Kosher birds include: capon, duck
(domestic), goose (domestic), chicken,
turkey, guinea fowl and many others. As a
general principle, scavenging birds such as
eagles and vultures are not considered
kosher, and others (generally) are.
Leviticus outlines the non-kosher birds and
the rest are all kosher. In practice,
however, only the birds that Jews have a
tradition of eating are actually eaten.
InsectsWith three
exceptions, all bugs and insects are
forbidden as treif (un-kosher). The
exception is a type of locust from the
Arabian peninsula; this type of locust
encompasses four distinct species of locust.
The tradition for identifying which species
of locust were and were not kosher has been
lost among all Jews except the Jews of
Yemen. The Grasshopper and beetle are also
kosher.
Is Honey Kosher?
Cheese
Cheese made from milk and non-animal enzymes
is kosher. But much cheese is made from milk
and rennet, and the kashrut of such cheeses
is a matter of debate in the religious
Jewish community.
Rennet is the enzyme used to turn milk into
curds and whey; most forms of rennet derive
from the lining of the stomach of an animal,
and thus are classified by most religious
Jews as meat products. A vegetable
substitute for rennet can be used, in which
case none of these restrictions apply. Other
Jewish authorities maintain another long
standing Jewish legal tradition: rennet is
held to be a secretion of the stomach wall,
and thus does not have the status of meat.
Further, in its normal processing, rennet
undergoes a chemical change and becomes
inedible, thus halakhically becoming a
non-food. All foods in this category
automatically lose any kashrut restrictions.
They are considered to have changed so much
from their original state that they are a
d'var chadash, "a new substance" with
properties significantly different from
those of their original form. All such
substances are considered pareve (neutral
and kosher).
Fish and Seafood
To be kosher, a fish must have both fins and
scales. The lack of either characteristic
renders that species of fish unclean.
Examples of unkosher fish include shark,
catfish and eels. All shellfish, such as
crabs, lobster, and shrimp are not kosher.
All sea mammals, such as dolphins, whales
and seals are not kosher. All other sea
animals, such as octopus, squid and
jellyfish are also not kosher.
Seaweed and other sea plant life are all
kosher.
There are two fish that are controversial:
Swordfish and sturgeon. Both of these have
scales as young fish, but lose them later in
life. Most Orthodox rabbis rule that these
fish are not kosher; many Conservative
rabbis rule that they are kosher.
Gelatin
A controversial topic is the status of
gelatin. This substance comes from the
processed bones of animals. If the source of
gelatin is a kosher animal that was properly
slaughtered according to Jewish law, then
such gelatin is considered kosher by all
Jews. All other gelatin is usually
considered treif (non-kosher). However, a
number of prominent rabbinic authorities
have noted that gelatin undergoes such
extensive processing and chemical changes
that it no longer has the status of meat,
and as such may be considered pareve and
kosher. Most Conservative Jews, and a
significant minority of Israeli Orthodox
Jews, accept that all gelatin is kosher.
Vegetarianism
Genesis 1:29 states "And God said: Behold, I
have given you every herb yielding seed
which is upon the face of all the earth, and
every tree that has seed-yielding fruit - to
you it shall be for food." According to many
classical Jewish Bible commentators, this
means that God's original plan was for
mankind to be vegetarian. According to many
rabbis, God later gave permission for man to
eat meat because of man's weak nature, but
the ideal would be for man to be vegetarian.
Some prominent rabbis were vegetarian, such
as the first Chief Rabbi of pre-state
Israel, Abraham Isaac Kook. However, others
argue that people may eat animals because
God gave Eve and Adam dominion over them.
(The Torah and vegetarianism)
In addition, some Jews follow a more or less
vegetarian diet for pragmatic reasons, if
kosher meat is expensive or hard to come by
in their area.
Kashrut and animal welfare
The method of slaughtering used in strict
adherence to Jewish law has been criticized
as being cruel by many animal rights
organizations, in particular because animals
are killed without the use of anesthesia.
This has resulted in several restrictions or
even an outright ban on kosher meat in a
number of countries, though other countries
grant ritualistic slaughter such as kashrut
special exemption from the relevant
regulations. However, some bans were in
place before animal rights had become a
general public concern.
Animal rights groups claim it can still take
several minutes for the animal to die and
thus would cause immense suffering. Jewish
groups point to studies showing that the
technique is no more painful than
conventional techniques, and in most cases
quicker and less painful; the conclusions of
these studies are rejected by animal rights
advocates. In addition, there are campaigns
to have the practice of ritualistic
slaughter globally banned [1].
Many Jewish organizations suspect that anti-semitism
may also be an influence behind the efforts
to ban kosher meat, partly because of a
distinct anti-semitic element among the
opponents of ritualistic slaughter, partly
because of the age of some bans.
Theories on the origin of the Biblical
dietary laws
Such a rationale seems reasonable when
considering the laws prohibiting the
consumption of scavenger birds, which may
carry disease from the carrion they consume;
shellfish, which can contain parasites which
can harm people; and pork, which can harbor
trichinosis if not properly cooked. However,
this hypothesis does not seem to make sense
when one looks at the other laws of kashrut:
They also forbid the consumption of birds of
prey, which do not carry such diseases, and
all fish without true scales, such as
sharks. They even permit animals such as
cows and sheep which also can harbor
diseases which are dangerous to humans. In
addition, this hypothesis does not explain
the following parts of the Jewish dietary
laws: Fruit from trees may not be eaten
before the tree turns four years old; one
must remove all blood from the meat; fruits
and vegetables may be eaten without
prohibition (even though there are many
poisonous herbs, seeds, berries and fruits).
This is not to say that there could be no
connection between the priestly laws of
kashrut and hygiene. As in the dietary codes
of many societies, it only makes sense that,
over time, hygiene would likely play some
role in the development of the dietary laws
of Leviticus.
The symbolic laws hypothesis
During the first few centuries of the common
era some non-Jewish philosophers held that
the laws of kashrut were symbolic in
character. In this view, kosher animals
represent virtues, while non-kosher animals
represent vices. The first indication of
this view can be found in the 1st century
BCE Letter of Aristeas (par. 145-148, 153).
This view later reappears in the writings of
Philo of Alexandria, and in the writings of
some of the early Church fathers. This
hypothesis has long since been rejected by
Rabbis. Modern biblical criticism also has
found nothing to support this hypothesis.
The laws as statutes without explanation or
reason
"Some Jewish scholars have held that these
dietary laws should simply be categorized
with a group of laws that are considered
irrational in that there is no particular
explanation for their existence. The reason
for this is that there are some of God's
regulations for mankind that the human mind
is not necessarily capable of understanding.
Related to this is the idea that the dietary
laws were given as a demonstration of God's
authority and that man should obey without
asking for a reason." (Source: William H.
Shea, Clean and Unclean Meats, Biblical
Research Institute, December 1988)
This view has been rejected by the majority
of classical and modern Jewish rabbis, and
by modern biblical scholars. For example,
Maimonides holds that all the laws given by
God have a reason, that we are permitted to
seek out what these reasons may be, and that
we should feel comfortable in knowing that
rational reasons exist for all of God's laws
in the Torah, even if we are not sure of
what some of these reasons are. For
Maimonides, the idea that God gave laws
without any reason is anathema.
Laws serve as a religious and social
distinction
One theory widely accepted today is that the
laws serve as a distinction between the
Israelites and the non-Israelite nations of
the world. Gordon Wenham writes "The laws
reminded Israel what sort of behavior was
expected of her, that she had been chosen to
be holy in an unclean world." These laws had
the added effect of preventing socialization
and intermarriage with non-Jews, helping the
Jewish community maintain its identity.
Wenham writes that "circumcision was a
private matter, but the food laws made one's
Jewish faith a public affair. Observance of
the food laws was one of the outward marks
of a practicing Jew, and this in turn
enhanced Jewish attachment to them as a
reminder of their special status." (Source:
Gordon J. Wenham, "The Theology of Unclean
Food," The Evangelical Quarterly 53, January
March 1981, p.6-15.)
The Biblical explanation: Distinctions
lead to holiness
According to the Biblical book of Leviticus,
the purpose of the laws is related to ritual
purity and holiness. Indeed, the Hebrew word
for "holiness" is etymologically related to
the Hebrew word for "distinction" or
"separation". This idea is generally
accepted by most Jews today, and by many
modern biblical scholars. Cultural
anthropologist Mary Douglas has written an
important work on just how the Israelites
may have used the idea of distinction as a
way to create holiness. Her seminal work,
Purity and Danger (1966), is still studied
today.
How kashrut is viewed by Judaism today
Orthodox Judaism and Conservative Judaism
hold that Jews should follow the laws of
Kashrut. Reform Judaism and
Reconstructionist Judaism hold that these
laws are no longer binding. Most Jews in
Reform Judaism have considered these laws a
hindrance, rather than a facilitator, of
piety; this is still the mainstream Reform
position. Some parts of the Reform community
have begun to move towards a more
traditional position. This tradition-leaning
faction agrees with mainstream Reform that
the rules concerning kashrut are no longer
binding, but holds that keeping kosher is an
important way for people to bring holiness
into their lives. Thus Jews are encouraged
to consider adopting some or all of the
rules of kashrut on a voluntary basis. The
Reconstructionist movement advocates that
its members accept some of the rules of
kashrut, but does so in a non-binding
fashion; their stance on kashrut is the same
as the tradition-leaning wing of Reform.
Linguistic usage
In English, the term kosher is frequently
used in a metaphorical sense to mean
"acceptable" or "approved", which is its
conventional meaning in Hebrew. It is also
part of some common product names. For
example, "kosher salt" is a form of salt
which has large crystals, making it
particularly suitable for preparing meat in
accordance with Kashrut law, i.e. removing
as much blood as possible. (Thus a more
accurate name would have been "koshering
salt.") And a "kosher pickle" is a
particular style of pickle that originated
in kosher delis. |
