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| An Introduction To "Kosher" |
The word "Kosher" is a Hebrew word that is best translated as fit, proper or correctly prepared. However it is most commonly used today to describe a food that complies with the rules of Kashrus or Kashrut, i.e. the section of Jewish law dealing with what foods Jews may and may not eat. This may refer to the actual food veriety that may or may not be Kosher, or to how those foods have been prepared and eaten.
Kashrus is a body of Jewish law, and as such is can be compared to a science and there is nothing mystical in its application, (thought the Talmud eludes to a somewhat more mystical aspect to keeping the rules of Kashrus, and state that consumption of non-kosher food has and adverse effect spiritually). Therefore there is nothing ritualistic or mystical in a 'Kosher Inspection" carried out by a Rabbi at a food production facility. Contrary to popular misconception, Rabbis do not "bless" food or a food manufacturing facility to make it kosher. All that he does is inspect and verify that it complies with the laws of Kashrus. (The only exception to this rule is ritual slaughter that must be carried out by a qualified Rabbi and only after reciting a special blessing and if the same action is preformed by anyone other than a qualified Rabbi, even if the physical actions are identical, the slaughtered animal carcass would be considered Treif, i.e. non-kosher)
Some foods are kosher by default without any involvement by a rabbi or kosher inspector. For example as a general rule fresh unprocessed fruit & vegetables are by default kosher (providing that they are not infested with insects or bugs, which are not kosher!). The same applies to natural minerals.
However, all processed foods, however simple they may seem to be, need verification by an expert to determine if they are kosher. Especially in the modern world of processed foods, it is difficult to know whether the ingredients in any food are kosher and how they were processed, so it is necessary for a rabbi examine the food, its ingredients and processing aids as well as checking the processing facilities in order to assure kosher consumers that the food is indeed kosher. This process is the basis for Kosher Certification.
Some foods on the other hand are inherently non kosher. The most commonly know example is of course the pig, but there are many more. Other common examples are all types of insects and reptiles, shell fish and sea mammals. Non-Kosher food is often referred to as Treif.
It is important to note that there is no such thing as "kosher-style" food. Kosher is not a style of cooking. Chinese or Mexican food can be kosher if it is prepared with kosher raw materials and prepared in accordance with the laws of Kashrus. Indeed there are many fine kosher Chinese, Mexican and other so called 'ethnic' restaurants all over the world. By the same token even famous traditional 'Jewish Foods' like Kugel and Matza Ball Soup etc. can be non-kosher if not prepared in accordance with Jewish law using kosher raw materials. When a restaurant is described "kosher-style," it usually means that the restaurant serves a traditional Jewish menu and foods, and unless it has a reputable kosher certificate, it almost invariably means that the food is not actually kosher.
Many people are misled to believe that the laws of kashrus are simply some sort of primitive health and safety regulations. This could suggest that these laws may have become obsolete with modern methods of food preparation. While there is no question that some of the dietary laws have some beneficial health effects and many of the regulations demand good manufacturing practices to ensure against infestation and to prevent any risk of cross-contamination. However, health and safety is not the reason for Jewish dietary laws and indeed many of the laws of kashrus have no known connection with health and safety guidelines. There is no known scientific reason why non-kosher meat (like pig or rabbit meat) for example is any less healthy than cow or chicken meat. So too, a clean vessel that has been used in the past to cook non-kosher product may be scientifically sterile but it would not be permitted for kosher use unless rendered kosher by using boiling water.
The true basis for the law of kosher is that they are Biblical laws described in the Torah and as such they are religious G-d given laws without the need for any specific explanations. Of course, as is the nature of many Biblical laws, the Torah lists only the basic fundaments of the law that was expounded upon subsequently by the Rabbis as recorded in the Talmud and other volumes of Jewish law.
The Different Categories of Kosher
The complete details of the laws of kashrut are extensive as is the complete list of what is and is not kosher. In this article we will outline just the basic laws all the details derive from and the general categories of kosher and non-kosher products.
1. As mentioned above certain animals may be consumed and others may not be eaten at all. The general rule relating to which animals may be eaten is only those animals that have cloven (split) hooves and that chew the cud. These include cows, goats, sheep, deer and other similar animals like buffalo and yaks etc.
2. Forbidden animals include such animals that have only one of the two mentioned qualifications, the most common examples of which are the pig (has cloven hooves but does not chew its cud) and the camel (chews its cud but does not have cloven hooves).
3. For birds the guidelines are much less clear as the Bible does not give any criteria, instead its lists birds that are permitted and others that are prohibited. Again as a general rule the following birds are kosher: chicken, geese, ducks and doves. According to most authorities turkeys are kosher too.
4. The Torah (bible) lists a number of forbidden birds. It is interesting to note that all of the birds in the list are flesh eating birds, known as birds of prey or scavengers. Some rabbis have therefore inferred that this may be the basis for the distinction.
5. The Biblical guideline for kosher fish is that you may eat anything that has fins and scales. The list of fish that meet these criteria is very long. Common examples of kosher fish are salmon, trout, pike, tuna, carp and herring.
6. On the other hand the forbidden species in the waters are numerous too. They include shellfish such as lobsters, oysters, shrimp, clams, crayfish and crabs that are all forbidden. So too are eels and sea mammals and all sorts of seafood like squid and sea cucumbers non-kosher to name just a few!
7. All insects, amphibians, rodents and reptiles are non kosher. This includes snakes, snails and all other multitudes of creatures that 'swarm on the earth'.
8. The restrictions on forbidden species include not only the consumption of the flesh and organs, but also all derivatives like eggs and milk and any other derivative of the forbidden creatures.
9. Thus too squid ink or lac dye and carmine and similar derivatives from non kosher species are forbidden. An exception to this rule is bee’s honey that is derived from non kosher species, i.e. bees. The kosher status of Royal Jelly is a debated.
10. All animals, mammals and birds that are kosher species may only be eaten if slaughtered by a qualified rabbi in accordance the Jewish Law. This ritual slaughter is known as Shechitah, and the person who performs the slaughter is called a Shochet. The method of slaughter is a quick, deep stroke across the throat with a perfectly sharp blade with no nicks or unevenness ensuring that the jugular vain, the windpipe etc. are all properly severed. Severing the sources of blood and oxygen to the brain ensure that this method is painless, causes unconsciousness within seconds and death is almost instantaneous. It is widely recognized as the most humane method of slaughter possible
11. After slaughter the Shochet will perform a post mortem on the carcass to ensure that it was health and well and its lungs etc. were sound prior to the slaughter.
12. Also all blood must be drain out of the meat by a specific salting and rinsing program prior to cooking. This program is referred to as 'Koshering'. Blood can also be drain and removed by roasting over an open fire. One of the additional benefits of traditional Shechita is that it ensures rapid, complete draining of the blood
13. Certain fats and glands may not be eaten and therefore meat must be purged by an expert prior to cooking and eating.
14. These last point refer only to mammals and birds, fish do not need to be slaughtered in any prescribed manner nor is the blood of fish forbidden and there is no forbidden sections and hence no need for purging.
15. In general all fruits and vegetables and also fungi like different mushroom species and algae are kosher, however, as mentioned above, they must be inspected for any infestation by insects or bugs.
16. The most common exception to this general rule is that ironically there are certain restrictions on all agricultural products like fruit and vegetables coming from the Land of Israel.
17. Pure fruit juices and pulps (but not nectars that usually contain many additives and ingredients) are generally considered to be kosher, however many authorities insist on kosher certification even for pure fruit juices and pulps because of concerns with the utensils like pasteurisers that may have been used to process other non-kosher products
18. The other important exception is Grape Juice as wines, grape juices and all grape derivatives (including according to many authorities Anthocyanin or Grape Skin Colour) are non-kosher by default unless produced under full time kosher supervision.
19. As mentioned above, all processed foods need to be checked or kosher certified. This is because of concerns with the ingredients, additives and also the processing equipment. Often the main ingredients are kosher but the product is rendered non-kosher by the addition of a non-kosher minor ingredient. For example Carmine, a commonly used red colour that is derived from beetles! Or an emulsifier that may be made from non-kosher animal fat. Some are innocent sounding like Calcium Stearate for example that contains a component that may be derived from animal fat. Even foods that are labelled vegetarian or even vegan can have non kosher influences.
20. Food additives are an area for concern as they include products like gelatine, glycerine, mono and di glycerides etc. that are or can be derived from non kosher animal species.
21. The laws relating to dairy are many and unique. According to basic Biblical law milk of a kosher animal is kosher, however there is a later day Talmudical decree that all milk must be supervised from the time of milking to ensure that non milk from a non kosher species has be mixed in. nowadays that there are governmental controls that regulate the dairy industry and the possibility that bovine milk can by ‘contaminated? is actually so remote that many rabbinical authorities consider that nowadays there is no place for the Talmudical decree and all regular milk can be considered kosher. Other rabbis are more traditional and consider the decree to be binding even today when there is no actual concern about the purity of the milk. As a result of nowadays there are two different kosher dairy standards, ‘regular kosher?milk also know as ‘Cholov Aakum?meaning non-supervised milk, and ‘super kosher?also know as ‘Cholov Israel?meaning fully supervised milk.
22. Even those authorities that allow the consumption of ‘regular kosher?i.e. non-supervised milk and milk products only permit this in such countries and regions where there are strict dairy regulations in place and where the rule of law is fully upheld. This would not apply to places like to grasslands of Tibet and Mongolia or to the jungles of Africa etc. especially in countries where it is commonplace to consume the milk of other non kosher animal species like mare’s milk or camels milk etc.
23. Hard and semi hard cheeses that are produced by adding a coagulant to the milk are also subject to similar Talmudical decree. Besides the issue of the milk according to another Talmudical decree the milk must be physically ‘renneted?(i.e. adding the coagulant) by a rabbinical supervisor. Here again there are differences in opinions and some authorities allow kosher cheeses to be produce using ‘regular kosher?(non-supervised) milk. This cheese is classed as regular kosher cheese also known as ‘Me’shaas Asiya? Other authorities however only allow cheese that is produced from fully supervised milk. These cheeses are known as super kosher cheeses or ‘Me’shaaas Chaliva?
24. Soft cheeses like cream cheese and yogurts are generally considered to be comparable to milk rather than to cheese and do not require the cultures etc. to be administered by a rabbi, however it is important to remember that unlike pure milk, they contain other additives that need to be verified if they are kosher or not. The same applies to all flavoured milk drinks that may contain non-kosher flavours, colours or other additives like stabilisers.
25. Another interesting law relating to milk is that it is forbidden to consume or blend milk and meat. As a result all kosher foods fall into one of 3 categories: 1. Meat 2. Dairy 3. Pareve (often translated as neutral as it contains neither meat or dairy). These classifications are not to be confused with vegetarian or vegan.
26. Typical Pareve products like eggs, fish and honey may be blended and consumed together as well as with either meat or dairy products.
27. Utensils that have come into contact with meat may not be used with dairy, and vice versa much as utensils that have come into contact with non-kosher food may not be used for kosher food. This generally applies only where the contact occurred while the food was hot.
28. Kosher for Passover is another kosher classification and literally means that the food contains no grain derivative and therefore can be consumed during the Passover festival when the consumption of any grain derivative ?besides the specially prepared matzo breads ?is forbidden. Kosher for Passover kosher certification tends to be much stricter than regular kosher and many authorities insist on full time supervision for Passover products.
29. Some specific foods require special supervision for the cooking process called Bishul Israel. The literal translation is that the food was cooked by a Jewish supervisor. In most cases this is effected by the supervisor igniting the steam boiler at a food producing factory or lighting the oven etc.
30. Kosher bread generally needs to be baked by a Jew, know as Pass Israel and this is achieved as above by the supervisor lighting the oven. In some cases regular bread may be allowed, for example when there is no kosher baker in the locality and the bread contains no forbidden additives. Such bread is referred to as Paas Palter.
Kosher Certification
The task of keeping kosher is greatly simplified by widespread kosher certification. Products that have been certified as kosher are often labelled with a mark called a kosher logo that is unique to and identifies the rabbi or organisation that certified the product. There are many other certifying agencies available, of varying degrees of strictness and some are naturally better known than others. The extent of recognition of any particular kosher logo has no particular bearing on the reliability and acceptability of the certification..
It is common for kosher certifying organizations to indicate alongside their logo whether the product is dairy by adding the letter D or kosher for Passover with the letter P. As a rule products marked kosher D are of the lesser standard so called ‘regular kosher?non-supervised milk.
Kosher certification organizations charge manufacturers a fee for kosher certification. This fee covers the expenses of researching the ingredients in the product and inspecting the facilities used to manufacture the product. The benefit to the manufacturer is not only making the product available to the segment of society that eats only kosher. Kosher is widely perceived as a sort of higher food standard. Having kosher certification for a product is also perceived as enhancing to credibility and hence the marketablilty of the kosher certified products. |
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| © 2007 KosherRegister Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Last Modified December 24, 2007. |
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