What do you eat at Kosher?

Answer 1

There are three categories of Kosher food - Meat, Dairy and Parve (or Pareve). The laws of kashrut pertaining to these derive from various passages in the Torah, and are numerous and complex, but the key principles can be summarized.

Only meat from particular species is permissible. Mammals that both chew their cud (ruminate) and have cloven hooves can be kosher. Animals with one characteristic but not the other (the camel, the hyrax and the hare because they have no cloven hooves, and the pig because it does not ruminate) are specifically excluded (Leviticus 11:3-8).89 In 2008, a rabbinical ruling determined that giraffes and their milk are eligible to be considered kosher. The giraffe both has split hooves and chews its cud, characteristics of animals considered kosher. Findings from 2008 show that giraffe milk curdles, meeting kosher standards. Although kosher, the giraffe is not slaughtered today because the process would be very costly. Giraffes are difficult to restrain, and their use for food could cause the species to become endangered.

Non-kosher birds are listed outright (Deuteronomy 14:12-18) but the exact zoological references are disputed and some references refer to families of birds (24 are mentioned). The Mishnah13 refers to four signs provided by the sages.14 First, a dores (predatory bird) is not kosher. Additionally, kosher birds possess three physical characteristics: an extra toeclarification needed, a zefek (crop,) and a korkoban (gizzard) with a peelable lumen. However, individual Jews are barred from merely applying these regulations alone; an established tradition (masorah) is necessary to allow birds to be consumed, even if it can be substantiated that they meet all four criteria.15 The only exception to this is turkey. There was a time when certain authorities considered the signs enough, so Jews started eating this bird without a masorah because it possesses all the signs (simanim in Hebrew) and there is a place for thisclarification needed in Jewish law.citation needed

Fish must have fins and scales to be kosher (Leviticus 11:9-12). Shellfish and other non-fish water fauna are not kosher.

Insects are not kosher, except for certain species of kosher locust (unrecognized in almost all communities).

That an animal is untamed does not preclude it from being kosher, but a wild animal must be trapped and ritually slaughtered (shechted) rather than killed some other way to be kosher. Generally any animal that eats other animals, whether they kill their food or eat carrion (Leviticus 11:13-31), is not kosher, as well as any animal that was partially eaten by other animals (Exodus 22:30/Exodus 22:31).

Meat and milk (or derivatives) cannot be mixed (Deuteronomy 14:21) in the sense that meat and dairy products are not served at the same meal, served or cooked in the same utensils, or stored together. Observant Jews have separate sets of dishes, and sometimes different kitchens, for meat and milk, and wait anywhere between one and six hours after eating meat before consuming milk products.

Examples of cloven hooves in goats (upper left), pigs (lower left) and cattle (lower right). But horses lack cloven hooves (upper right).Mammals and fowl must be slaughtered in a specific fashion: slaughter is done by a trained individual (a shochet) using a special method of slaughter, shechita (Deuteronomy 12:21). Among other features, shechita slaughter severs the jugular vein, carotid artery, esophagus and trachea in a single continuous cutting movement with an unserrated, sharp knife, avoiding unnecessary pain to the animal. Failure of any of these criteria renders the meat of the animal unsuitable. The body must be checked after slaughter to confirm that the animal had no medical condition or defect that would have caused it to die of its own accord within a year, which would make the meat unsuitable.19 As much blood as possible must be removed (Leviticus 17:10) through the kashering process; this is usually done through soaking and salting the meat, but organs rich in blood (the liver) are grilled over an open flame.

Utensils used for non-kosher foods become non-kosher, and make even otherwise kosher food prepared with them non-kosher. Some such utensils, depending on the material they are made from, can be made suitable for preparing kosher food again by immersion in boiling water or by the application of a blowtorch. Food prepared by Jews in a manner that violates the Shabbat (Sabbath) may not be eaten until the Shabbat is over.

Answer 2

Kosher is not an event, so no special food is eaten "at Kosher."

Jews abide by a system of dietary laws known as Kashrus, and foods which are approved by these laws are known as kosher. Foods which are not approved are known as treif and foods to which Kashrus does not apply - such as vegetables - are called parve.

Answer 3

There are several points. One, to buy kosher-labeled foods. Learn what the symbols are on the package label, such as the little U inside a circle, and others.

Two, not to cook meat with milk. Three, to get meat from a kosher butcher store. Four, to have separate dishes and pots and pans for meat and dairy. Five, to wait six hours after meat before eating dairy. Six, to have an observant Jew come and kosher your kitchen (unless you want to buy everything new, including an oven). There are organizations who will send someone to do this for free, and it is a one-time thing. Seven, you should have an orthodox rabbi whom you can call with the questions that will inevitably come up (I accidentally stuck a dairy spoon into a meat broth). Eight, get a book such as The Practical Guide To Kashrus by Rabbi Wagschal and read it.

Answer 4

First, the animal to be slaughtered must be healthy, which means you cannot get kosher meat from an animal suffering from a life threatening injury. Kosher slaughter requires an expert and a very sharp knife long enough to slit the throat all the way through all of the arteries in a single uninterrupted stroke. If done correctly, the animal should be dead before it has a chance to notice the pain. The animal must be immediately upended so that the blood can drain from the corpse. Proper and respectful disposal of the blood is required. Once slaughtered, the entrails are inspected to assure that there are no hidden injuries. On the highest grade of meat (Glatt kosher) the lungs must be smooth and free of scarring indicating previous injury from which the animal may have recovered. The meat from the forequarters is not problematic, but Jewish tradition requires that the sciatic nerve be dissected out of the meat of the hind leg. This is difficult enough that, outside of Israel, it is rarely done. Instead, the sirloin and loin steaks are sold on the non-kosher market. Before cooking, all of the meat must be salted with what is sold as kosher salt but is actually coarse salt used in koshering. This is to draw out the last remnant of blood, after which the meat is rinsed and cooked.

Actual recipes for cooking kosher meat? Jewish recipes for cooking meat use just about every technique there is, from backyard grills to roasting, braizing and frying.