Have you ever wondered what Kosher meat
is or why some pickle jars have the words: Kosher Pickles
printed on the label? Just what is Kosher?
Merriam-Webster
dictionary -
1 a: sanctioned by Jewish law; especially : ritually fit for use like kosher meat.b: selling or serving food ritually fit according to Jewish law, as a kosher restaurant.2 being proper or acceptable, or satisfactory, as is the deal kosher?
The word is a Hebrew derivative of Kaf-Shin-Reish,
which means fit, proper, or correct. Rabbis
or religious officials do not bless food in order to make it kosher,
as the urban legend goes. However, there are blessings that Jews
observe and recite before food is eaten, just as Christians and
Muslims do in certain tradition.
Passover, watercolor-1855 by Dante Gabriel Rosetti |
History
of Kosher [Lubicom
Kosher]
1312
BC:
After 300 years under the Egyptian rule, the prophet Moses
and his brother Aaron lead tribesmen out of Egypt on a route toward
the Dead Sea in Caanan, following the trade route that Moses
previously took when running away from Egyptian authorities. The Jews
wandered for 40 years. They sustained themselves with manna,
according to the scriptures and Hebrew traditions.
1275
BC:
Moses brought the Torah
from God on Mount Sinai, whose rules were more than the Ten
Commandments
and included dietary restrictions that formed the basis of kosher
food requirements. Among those rules was a ban against mixing meat
and dairy products, like not boil a young goat's meat (kid) in its
mother's milk. Kosher animals, those not forbidden for consumption,
are animals that chew their own cud and have split hooves. Fish must
have fins and scales, thus sharks, dolphins, seals, and whales are
forbidden to eat. Fowl (birds) also have a list of detailed
requirements.
Kosher
is NOT a style of cooking – any food can be kosher if prepared
according to Jewish law. There are Chinese restaurants in
Philadelphia and New York that serves kosher food in respect for
their orthodox Jewish customers.
Health
was not the only reason why the dietary rules of Kosher was created,
for example, there is no scientific reason why camel or rabbit meat
is not healthy. It is simply because it is written in the Torah, and
since it comes from God no reason is required.
Kashrut
Without
getting into too much detail, here is the gist of what Kashrut
entails:
- Certain animals may not be eaten at all. This restriction includes the flesh, organs, eggs, and milk of forbidden animals.
- Of the animals that may be eaten, birds and mammals must be killed humanely in accordance with Jewish law; for example, the animal must not be killed in presence of other animals to be slaughtered for food and the animal must be calm and unsuspecting.
- All blood must be drained from meat and poultry or broiled out of it before eaten.
- Certain parts of animals permitted to eat cannot be consumed.
- Fruits and vegetables are permitted, but must be inspected for insects, for they cannot be eaten. [There are exceptions, as ancient custom of culinary preparations that include roasted locust (grasshopper)].
- The flesh of birds and animals cannot be eaten with dairy. Fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and grains can be eaten with either meat or dairy. Some believe that fish cannot be eaten with meat.
- Utensils, including pots and pans, that have contact with meat may not be used with dairy or vice versa. Utensils that have come in contact with non-kosher food cannot be used. That applies only if contact occurred while food was hot.
- Grape products made by non-Jews is forbidden to eat.
At
Jews News website, the difference between
Kosher (Hebrew) and
Halal (Islam) –
difference between ritual
slaughter practices of Jews and Muslims.
One of the
main laws forbids eating blood, because life
is in the blood.
Sources and References
Bibliography and Literary
Recommendations
No comments:
Post a Comment