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If its flesh is to be kosher, an animal must be killed in accordance with very strict laws known as shechita. These laws apply to all birds and mammals, including wild animals, which must be caught in a way that does not injure them and then killed according to shechita. As well as ensuring that the meat is in compliance with the laws of kashrut (the very strict commandments that govern which food is kosher, which is not kosher and which is neutral), shechita also places great emphasis on preventing suffering and as a result has been called the first ever set animal welfare laws by some.
First of all, the animal must be a kosher species. Pigs are the best known non-kosher animal, but many others are also forbidden such as whales, dolphins, camels, any fish that does not have both fins and scales (such as the lamprey and shark), insects, shellfish, Birds of Prey and others. Hunting is not permitted if the animal is killed in any way other than by the method below as the meat will be rendered non-kosher. Wild animals must be caught in a way that does not harm them and then slaughtered in compliance with Jewish law. Prior to being shekhted (slaughtered), the animal will be closely examined for any sign of diseases that cause lesions on the lungs which would make the flesh unsuitable for consumption by Jews.
The animal must only be killed by a shochet, a highly-trained slaughterman who in many cases may also be a rabbi. He must be a very pious Jew and must consider the animal's life and well-being as he slits the throat with a very sharp blade known to Ashkenazi Jews as a hallaf and to Sephardim as a sakin. The blade must have a perfect edge, without any nicks or blemishes, and be able to bring about rapid death when pressed against the throat - hacking or slicing renders the meat treif (non-kosher). In addition to being intended to bring about rapid loss of consciousness, the process is also designed to ensure the removal of as much blood as possible from the carcass. Whether or not this is preferable to modern secular slaughtering techniques is debatable - many people, both Jewish and gentile, argue that shechita causes no more distress than slaughter with a captive bolt gun and that the process can be preferable due to the greater emphasis placed upon the animal's life and prevention of suffering. Others claim that it results in more suffering - it is worth knowing that kosher slaughterhouses find themselves subject to animal abuse charges far less frequently than non-kosher facilities which tend to be geared up to the undustrial production of meat on a massive scale which, in all too many cases, leads to corners being cut and standards being ignored. Note that those kosher slaughterhouses that have been charged with abuse have often been those that attempt to industrialise the process, such was the case with Spencer Foods of Spencer in Iowa, now defunct - animal handling expert Temple Grandin referred to it as "the plant from hell" and vowed to shut it down. However, speaking on shechita in general, he said that when done "done correctly, the animal appears not to feel it. From an animal welfare standpoint, the major concern during ritual slaughter are the stressful and cruel methods of restraint (holding) that are used in some plants" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shechita#Animal_welfare_controversies). Nevertheless, the debate has led many Jews to avoid meat altogether and adopt vegetarian/vegan diets.
Following slaughter, the flesh is once again examined in process known as bedikah for evidence of internal injury that would render it treif. Internal organs are once again checked for lesions - there is debate about whether lesions always make meat treif or not, with some Jews believing that if the lungs remain airtight following removal of the scarred section then the meat is kosher. Glatt kosher refers to meat that has been shekted in strict accordance with shechita and in which no lesions have been discovered.
Next, the carcass is porged. The kidneys, intestines and certain fats in the case of domestic animals, known as chelev, as removed (chelev does not appy to wild animals). The gid hanasheh, or sciatic nerve, must also be removed. Removal of chelev and gid hanasheh is a labour-intensive and very difficult task which requires a highly-skilled butcher - one of the reasons that a shochet must undergo far more training that a non-kosher butcher. Since the Totah forbids the consumption of blood, this too must be removed - large blood vessels are stripped out and the meat is kashered - soaked for around half an hour and then covered in salt which absorbs the last traces of blood prior to being rinsed off. This must be done within three days of slaughter and prior to freezing, otherwise the blood is considered to have set within the meat and it is treif.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoA very long, very sharp knife is drawn across the front of the neck, in a deep stroke
that must sever the jugular, the trachea, and the spinal chord in one motion. If the
stroke fails, then the creature is not kosher, and no subsequent process can make
it so. After slaughter, the internal organs are inspected. If any defect is found there,
then it is likewise not kosher.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoThe animal is killed by a single cut across the throat to a precise depth, severing both carotid arteries, both jugular veins, both vagus nerves, the trachea and the esophagus, no higher than the epiglottis and no lower than where cilia begin inside the trachea, causing the animal to bleed to death.
Cite:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosher_foods
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoa "shochet" must use his nail to run along the blade of the knife to make sure there are no knicks in it so that the animal wont feel pain and after a blessing he make a cut (without hesitation)from the back of the neck almost to the front. then another blessing is said and the blood is drained and then the animal is salted to remove excess blood with i believe yet another blessing
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoThe most important thing is that a long and very sharp knife be used, so that the animal will feel as little as possible and (with a long blade) it won;t be necessary to saw back and forth. The shochet (butcher who does the slaughtering) needs to be certified as being well-versed in the pertinent Torah-laws. After the slaughtering itself, the animal is examined internally to see that it didn;t have any injuries or diseases that would make it ritually unfit to be deemed kosher.
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How do Jew's prepare there meat?
In order for meat to be kosher, animals to be killed quickly and painlessly using a specific method and only by a person specifically trained in this method. The animal also cannot have a disease. The blood must be drained from the meat then the meat is salted to remove all excess blood, certain arteries, nerves, and sections of fat must be removed. One a person has purchased kosher meat, it must then be prepared in a kosher kitchen in order to remain kosher. As to how the meat itself is prepared, that depends on the type of meat, type of cut, and often the cultural background of the cook.
What type of meat do Jewish people eat?
They eat any kind of meat except for pork. However, it MUST be kosher.
What can a person who requests a kosher meal eat?
If someone keeps kosher, it is best to not serve them meat. If meat is served, it must be kosher meat and it must not be served with dairy. They also can't eat shellfish.AnswerIf you have someone requesting a kosher meal and it has to be strictly kosher, you cannot prepare the food in a non-kosher kitchen. Most hotels, restaurants, etc. will order meals from kosher caterers/restaurants to fulfill such a request. Additionally, the food must remained sealed for the person who is eating it to unwrap in order for it to remain kosher.
What is the kosher rule about meat and bread?
Bread must not contain meat or milk; thus it can be used with either one.
Does kosher meat have nitrates?
No ______ Kosher deli meat still has nitrates.
Whose meat must be kosher fish have scales no pork shellfish?
No soap radio.
Is crab a kosher food?
There are brands of kosher imitation crab meat. You would have to check the product packaging for kashrut certification.
How does kosher meat for Jews differ to meat you can buy at the local supermarket?
By the time it reaches the supermarket shelf, (kosher meat is also found in local supermarkets), there's not a lot of difference between kosher meat and any other, except that there are several cuts and parts of the animal that aren't available kosher, and kosher meat on the shelf has been drained of all blood. The differences occur before the meat reaches the market. They include the selection and inspection of the animal, and the slaughtering and butchering methods. see the attached Related Link.
What would distiniguish food as Kosher?
It must come from a kosher animal (pigs are the best known non-kosher or treif animal among non-Jews but there are many others such as camels, most insects, shellfish, birds of prey, most carnivores, fish that do not have both fins and scales, whales and dolphins and any animal - kosher or not - killed in a way other than shechita, the laws governing kosher slaughter). The meat must be stripped of certain organs, certain fat known as chelev, the sciatic nerve and blood. The lungs must be free of lesions, though lungs that remain airtight following the removal of lesions can still be kosher - glatt kosher meat comes from animals entirely free of lesions. Animals found dead or killed by other animals are not kosher and wild animals must be trapped and shekhted (killed according to shechita). Secondly, meat must not be consumed with milk to avoid falling foul of the biblical prohibition against "boiling a kid in its mother's milk." The period a Jew must wait after eating meat before eating or drinking dairy varies, but is commonly around six hours. All plants are neutral according to kashrut (the laws that define a food as kosher or treif) and are deemed parve. However, some plant matter including several types of grain (known as chametz) are not eaten by observant Jews during Passover and are considered "not kosher for Pesach" (Pesach being the Jewish name for Passover). Many non-Jewish people believe that in order for it to be kosher, food must be religiously blessed by a rabbi - however, this is not the case.
How do you make a hard strictly kosher salami?
When it comes to kashrut, food is either kosher or not, there's no inbetween. In regard to making a kosher salami, it must be prepared in a kosher facility with all kosher ingredients including the meat, spices, and casing.
What is the kosher rule about meat?
For meat to be Kosher, it must come from a ritually slaughtered animal that has both cloven hooves and chews it cud. The animal must also have no flaws or diseases. That means beef, sheep, goats and deer are Kosher. The main goal of ritual slaughter is so the animal will lose as much blood as possible, as eating blood is forbidden. The meat must then be "kashered", or made kosher, by hanging the carcass to drain as much blood as possible. Before cooking Kosher meat, the meat must first be washed, salted ( using "kosher salt"), and cooked well-done. Certain parts of kosher animals are non-kosher. One such part is the sciatic nerve in the hindquarters, which is extremely difficult to remove. Some of the choicest cuts of meat, like filet mignon and sirloin steak not from the Kosher part of the cow, and are forbidden. The fat surrounding the animal's organs is also not Kosher. Interestingly, there is a biochemical difference between the this fat and the fat surrounding the muscles (which is kosher). Meat meals are eaten separately from dairy, which is why a cheeseburger isn't Kosher. Gelatin, which is usually made from animal hooves, is not Kosher, as are any hard cheeses, that are processed using an enzyme from the stomach lining of non-kosher animals. As far as poultry goes, only domesticated fowl such as chicken, turkey, quail and geese may be eaten. Birds of prey and scavenger birds are prohibited. Only seafood with fins and scales are kosher. Fish need not be ritually slaughtered to be Kosher. Fish is the only meat that may be eaten with dairy or eggs.
Are foxes kosher?
Fox meat is not kosher. See:More about what is and isn't kosher
