What rules do Judaism have about eating food?

Answer 1

God instructs the Israelites not to eat pork, as the pig is a ritually unclean animal.

Leviticus 11:7-8, "And the swine (pig / pork), though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is (therefore) unclean to you. Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you."

Isaiah 66:15-17, "For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind ... they that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh (pig / pork) ... shall be consumed together, saith the Lord.

Answer 2

"Kashrut" refers to the Jewish dietary laws. There are many kosher laws. Here are a few highlights:

• mammals must have a split hoof and chew their cud; e.g. cow, goat, sheep. Jews may not eat pork, rabbits, camels, horses etc.
• birds must not be a scavenger or predator. There must be a Jewish tradition as to the specific species being permitted; e.g. chicken, turkey, duck, goose. Meat and poultry must be slaughtered according to Jewish law, by a religious Jew
• Milk and eggs: only those from kosher animals/ fowl.
• fish must have fins and scales (no shellfish). Many species such as tuna, carp, and herring are kosher, but only if they are prepared with kosher cutting implements and machines.
• meat and dairy cannot be cooked or eaten together or at the same meal
• blood may not be eaten and must be removed from the meat of mammals and birds
• no reptiles or amphibians
• no insects (there are kosher types of locusts, but the names of the species have been lost)

In addition, there are rabbinic laws governing the production and consumption of all foods such as milk, bread, wine, cheese and other cooked and raw foods that they must be prepared/cooked or have their preparation/cooking supervised by a religious Jew.
Most prepared foods must carry certification that their production is supervised, so as to ensure that they comply with these rules. Kashrut certification is generally indicated by an identifiable symbol, in addition to the word dairy or pareve, which means the food is neither dairy nor meat, but rather neutral. (If a package has just the letter 'K' on it, this is not a valid kashrut symbol as the letter K cannot be trademarked.)
Although dairy and meat cannot be served together, fish may be eaten with dairy. This gives rise to the popular and kosher bagel, lox, and cream cheese combination. All fruits and vegetables are kosher.
Meat and dairy dishes and utensils can't be washed together. Kosher kitchens must maintain two sets of utensils, pots, pans, and dishes.
Contrary to popular misconception, rabbis or other religious officials do not "bless" food to make it kosher. There are blessings that observant Jews recite over food before and after eating, but these blessings have nothing to do with making the food kosher. Food can be kosher without a rabbi ever becoming involved with it: the vegetables from your garden are undoubtedly kosher (as long as they don't have any bugs, which are not kosher.)

Answer 3

-- The eating of food is considered to be advisable for the maintenance of

one's health and well-being, and is highly recommended in Judaism.

-- Blessings are recited before and after a meal, recognizing the Creator as

the source of our food, and thanking Him for providing us with sustenance.

-- Foods are selected in keeping with the kosher dietary laws: Only kosher

meat and other ingredients are eaten. Meat and dairy are never cooked,

served, or eaten together.

-- Food and drink are totally avoided on prescribed fasting days during the year.

The most widely practiced and most widely known of these is Yom Kippur, which

occurs in the Fall.

Answer 4

In order to be kosher, food has to be prepared according to the kosher-laws (see Deuteronomy ch.14). These are explained in detail in the Talmud-volume of Chullin.
* Meat must be from those land animals which have split hooves and chew their cud (such as beef, venison and mutton).
Fish have to have scales and fins. Shellfish are not kosher.
Birds cannot be among those listed as forbidden in the Torah (Deuteronomy ch.14) and cannot be hunters/scavengers. In actual practice, today we eat only those species concerning which we have a tradition that they're permitted, such as domestic chicken, geese, pigeons and turkey.

* Animals must be slaughtered in the manner specified by Jewish law and must be free of all disease. In actual practice, those who keep kosher purchase meat which is certified as having been prepared in the kosher manner.
As much blood as possible must be removed from meat before cooking, since consumption of blood is forbidden (Leviticus ch.17). This is done at home or by the kosher butcher, through salting, soaking and rinsing.

* Dairy and meat cannot be combined in the same meal and there's a waiting period between eating one and then the other. After dairy: 1/2 hour. After meat: 6 hours for most Jewish communities.

* Fruits and vegetables should be checked to be sure they're free of bugs. Some Jews avoid cauliflower, asparagus, and the like, because of the difficulty in checking them.

Additionally, food must be prepared and handled following kashrut-laws and with kosher ingredients only. Processed foods should be labeled as having had kosher supervision during their processing. Any food that does not meet these requirements cannot be eaten by those who are religiously observant Jews.

See also the Related Links.

Link: Could you give me a list of kosher and non-kosher types of fish?

Link: Why do some Jews not keep kosher?

Link: The use of rennet

Answer 5

Deuteronomy 14 contains long lists of permitted and forbidden animals, fish and birds. The prohibition on eating milk with meat is inferred from the triple repetition of the commandment not to seethe a kid in its mother's milk. The requirement not to eat blood repeated several times, from which Jews infer a general restriction on how animals are slaughtered.