Kosher Food Information
The term "kosher" describes foods that fall under the Jewish dietary law, or kashrut. The law prohibits the eating of certain types of food and dictates the methods of slaughtering, cooking and even serving it.
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Origin and Explanation
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The Torah, Judaism's most holy book, contains the kashrut laws but doesn't explain their origin or much of the reasoning behind them. Some believe that the law is meant to separate the Jews from other religions, while others say they were put in place for environmental or health reasons.
Kosher Foods
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Only animals that have hooves and chew their cud can become a Jewish entree. Almost all poultry will make it to a Jewish table except turkey, which the Torah doesn't mention. Fruit and vegetables are kosher unless bugs infest them. The Torah allows for the eating of all water creatures with fins and scales.
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Forbidden Foods
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A pig has become the best-known example of non-kosher food, or trief. Birds of prey or scavengers are also non-kosher, as are all types of shellfish. The Torah certifies rodents, reptiles, amphibians and insects as non-kosher as well.
Preparation
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The animals must have been slaughtered according to Jewish law; they cannot have died of natural causes or been killed by another animal. (This does not apply to fish.)
The laws of kosher also apply to ways of cooking and housekeeping. A kosher household will have two sets of pots, pans and utensils to cook meat and dairy separately.
Controversy
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Many non-Jews choose a Kosher way of living for health reasons, but this has certain disadvantages. One of the laws addresses the blood drainage from the meat and poultry, and after drainage, chicken or beef can acquire a lot of salt, which makes the health advantages questionable.
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