Kosher and Jewish Cooking

Challah Dough Cover

2010-08-26T19:15:00.002-06:00

Smart

• This smooth ‘Flour Sack’ material is the fabric preferred by chefs to cover rising dough. Square, over sized cloth is designed to fit neatly over a large round bowl. Food-safe, color-fast inks stand up to many washes. Practical
• This cloth has one clearly defined, designated use. You can be sure that the cloth you use to cover your Challah dough was never used to wipe counters or floors. Beautiful—
• Every week, the large bowl of rising dough sits on the counter for an hour or more. Make it pleasing to look at and at the same time reinforce the spirit of L’Kovod Shabbos Kodesh.

Measures 22" square, Hand wash only. 100% Cotton.

Sweet Potato, Carrot, and Apple Kugel

2009-09-18T04:01:00.001-06:00

Sweet Potato, Carrot, and Apple Kugel
Source: "The Complete Passover Cookbook," by Frances R. AvRutick
Serves: 8

1/2 cup margarine, melted
1 cup sweet potato (yams), peeled and grated
1 cup carrot, peeled and grated
1 cup apple, peeled and grated
1/2 cup matzo meal
2 tablespoons sweet Passover wine
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup white sugar, can be cut a little
1/2 cup brown sugar, can be cut a little

Use some of the melted margarine to lightly grease a 7"x11" baking pan.

Combine the remainder of the margarine with the other ingredients. Mix well. Pour into pan. Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes or until brown.

Variations: Add 1/2 cup chopped pitted prunes and 1/2 cup raisins to the ingredients. Can be used as a dessert or side dish.

Note: I have successfully replaced 1/2 the margarine with unsweetened applesauce and used Sweet n' low brown sugar substitute for the brown sugar. I also cut back on the white sugar as well.

Poster's Notes: This is a recipe from Francis AvRutick's "Complete Passover Cookbook" which my family loves. I make it for Rosh Hoshanah and Pesach, and I am thinking of including it in my Thanksgiving menu.

Kosher Food

2009-09-17T03:55:00.000-06:00

Kosher foods are those that conform to the rules of Jewish religion. These rules form the main aspect of kashrut, Jewish dietary laws.

Reasons for food being non-kosher include the presence of ingredients derived from non-kosher animals or from kosher animals that were not properly slaughtered, a mixture of meat and milk, wine or grape juice (or their derivatives) produced without supervision, the use of produce from Israel that has not been tithed, or even the use of cooking utensils and machinery which had previously been used for non-kosher food.

Kosher History

2007-03-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

1312 B.C. to 2000 A.D
The development of the kosher food industry in the United States is closely aligned with Jewish migration. The arrival of millions of Jews, escaping persecution in other parts of the world, introduced kosher to these shores. The following is a brief chronological review of some of the highlights of kosher in this country, beginning with its origin in the Bible.

1312 BC
A 40-year Israelite migration begins after 3 centuries of Egyptian oppression. The prophet Moses and his brother Aaron lead tribesmen and their flocks of sheep out of Egypt toward the Dead Sea in Canaan on a roundabout journey that will take them through the Sinai Peninsula, Kadesh, Aelana, and Petra.

The wandering Jews are sustained by "manna," which falls daily from the heavens. Two portions fall on Friday, so that the Israelites will have food for the Sabbath as well.

1275 BC
The Torah, given from God to Moses on Mount Sinai, imposes dietary restrictions that form the basis for kosher food requirements. Among these restrictions is a ban upon mixing meat and dairy products ("You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk"). Kosher animals are those that chew their own cud and have split hooves. Fish must have fins and scales. Fowl have a very detailed list of requirements.

1654
The story of kosher food in America begins when twenty-three Sephardic Jews arrived in New Amsterdam. Following the expulsion from Spain in 1492, (known as the Spanish Inquisition), Sephardic Jews fled to Greece, the Middle East, England, the Netherlands, and finally the Americas. This particular New Amsterdam band first sought haven from the Spanish Inquisition in Recife, Brazil but eventually ends up in New Amsterdam.

1720
Mill House is the earliest known standing Jewish residence in the United States. This flintstone blockhouse, built around 1720, is adjacent to Route 9W, about twelve miles north of Newburgh, New York, in the Hudson Highlands. Luis Moses Gomez, the first of a distinguished Sephardic family to emigrate from Spain to America built the house, part of a trading station. The adjacent area became known as Jew's Creek. Mr. Gomez, known in Ulster County as "Gomez the Jew," traded furs with the Indians.

1739
New York Jews rely almost exclusively on Congregation Shearith Israel, the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue founded in 1654 for kosher meat. By the middle of the 18th century New York kosher beef was being exported to Jamaica and Curacao.

1752-1755
Uriah Hendricks came to the Colonies in 1755. A Dutch-born Jew, who emigrated from England, he bartered goods against American raw products, primarily West Indian sugar. Very devout, he looked contemptuously on anyone who desecrated the Sabbath and ate forbidden food. He became president in 1791 of Shearith Israel, which had supervised kosher slaughtering in the city of New York since 1752.

1830's - 1880
While early American Jews settled along the Atlantic Coast, the second wave that arrived after 1830 crossed the mountains to the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Many like Levi Strauss, strapped packs on their backs and headed all the way across the continent to San Francisco, peddling textiles, kitchenwares, and other non-perishables as they went along. Jews have always been in the backpack business, selling spices, fabric, precious stones, anything that could be packed up easily when they were expelled from a country. It was a natural occupation for them, as they were rarely allowed to own land. In America, they became a familiar sight in the countryside before mail-order catalogues, like the Jewish-owned Sears Roebuck, put them out of business. Food, especially kosher food, posed a problem for them when they were traveling. Peddlers would often roast herring wrapped in newspaper over an open fire, or subsist on preserved or hard-boiled eggs and kosher sausage. On Saturdays the men created Sabbath communities in little towns where they met to pray. Often, as they made a little money peddling, they would buy a wagon and eventually settle in these communities, bringing their families from abroad.

"The Jewish heart with its most beautiful blossom, parental love, thought in its happiness of parents living in need in the old country and would bring them over from Germany," wrote I.J. Benjamin, an observer of American Jewish life in the mid-1850's. "But the old father and the pious little mother, would not, in the late evening of their lives, have any part in eating forbidden food. The sons had no choice, then, but devoutly to accommodate themselves to true Jewish piety, according to the wishes of their parents, and also to appoint a shochet. The institutions that a Jewish community usually organizes were, accordingly, soon in existence. So arose one Jewish institution after another." While Jews were trying to balance Judaism and assimilation, great inventions were changing the United States. Coal and wood-burning stoves rapidly outdated open-earth cookery, the steam engine took the place of the horse and buggy, ready- made clothing eliminated handmade dresses, and refrigeration replaced endless salting, smoking, and preserving. The industrial revolution had reached America.

1869
One popular seltzer drink was Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray Tonic, which was sold in every Jewish New York deli. A doctor who treated immigrant children on the Lower East Side developed this seltzer, filled with celery seeds and sugar, in 1869. "Generation after generation was weaned on the stuff," said Harry Gold, marketing director of Dr. Brown's. "World War II's population explosion produced children who hungered for Dr. Brown's. Now you can find it in most states." In the early thirties before Coca-Cola became kosher, many Jews started drinking Cel-Ray soda as well as his cream and cherry sodas.

1870
Cincinnati's Gaff, Fleischmann markets compressed yeast wrapped in tinfoil that permits shipment anywhere; the yeast becomes popular even with ultraconservative bakers.Rokeach kosher foods has its beginning with a kosher soap company started on Wythe Avenue in Brooklyn, N.Y., by entrepreneur Israel Rokeach, who will begin marketing gefilte fish, borscht, and kosher jams under the Rokeach label in the early 1900's.

1871
Esther Jacobs Levy, author of the "Jewish Cookery Book", the first American kosher cookbook, written in 1871, was probably an English Jew living in Philadelphia.
Mrs. Levy's recipes come from the different backgrounds of Jewry -- English, German, Sephardic, and American. Local dandelion greens are used in salads, and corn is cooked in a fritter resembling oysters, a popular nineteenth-century dish. In the 1870's "The New York Times" published one of the book's recipes for worsht, or sausage and rice, without acknowledging the source.

1883
Jacob Horowitz, a new arrival in New York from Hungary, rented a bakery, which he made ritually fit for the production of unleavened bread, Matzoh. In the first year, he was able to produce only a small quantity, but after his four sons, daughter, and son-in-law arrived in January, 1884, his business flourished. Five years later he bought his own bakery.
1886-1887
Dov Behr Manischewitz arrived in Cincinnati. He began as a part-time peddler and shochet for the Orthodox community, which had arranged for passage for him and his family.

In 1887 he started a small matzoh bakery, which gradually became the B. Manischewitz Baking Company, the largest concern of its kind, with subsidiaries in all parts of the world. By the turn of the century Rabbi Manischewitz was shipping his product to England, Japan, France, Africa, Hungary, New Zealand, and Egypt. The matzoh - manufacturing pioneer owed his success to the invention of a machine that produced fifty thousand pounds of matzoh a day.

1888
A small New York dairy store opens at 135 Madison Street on the Lower East Side under the direction of Lithuanian-born merchant Isaac Breakstone, 24, and his brother Joseph. Isaac, who has been in the ice cream business after several years of peddling, arrive in New York 6 years ago and was greeted at the pier by Joseph, who had arrived 6 months earlier; their Madison Street shop will continue until 1895, and in 1896 they will start a wholesale butter business under the name Breakstone Brothers at 29 Jay Street, Brooklyn.

1901
"The Settlement Cook Book" began as a German-Jewish cookbook, created by a woman who sought to help the wave of immigrants that swept into the United States at the turn of the century. First issued in 1901 as a pamphlet containing one hundred German Jewish and turn-of-the-century American recipes, it has proved to be one of the most successful American cookbooks. Lizzie Black Kander, the daughter of German-Jewish pioneer farmers, compiled the "The Settlement Cook Book". She was also known as the Jane Adams of Milwaukee for her work on behalf of Eastern European immigrants.

In 1896, Mrs. Kander, then chairman of the Milwaukee Section of the National Council of Jewish Women of Philanthropy (NCJW), established the Milwaukee Jewish Mission or settlement house in quarters borrowed from two synagogues.

1905
Production of edible coconut fat, suitable for cooking, begins at Ringelshain, Bohemia, and the fat is marketed under the trade name Ceres. Sales of Ceres grows quickly introducing a kosher brand which gains favor among Galician and Hungarian Jews, since the dietary laws prevent Jews from consuming lard.

Hebrew National Foods has its beginnings at New York, where Isadore Pinkowitz starts producing kosher frankfurters. His son Leonard Pines will take over the business after Pinkowitz's death in 1936, and the enterprise will grow to have a line that includes salami, sauerkraut, mustard, and other kosher products.

The New York dairy restaurant Ratner's opens in April on Pitt Street serving soup, gefilte fish, whitefish, and a few other kosher dishes under sanitary conditions for the city's large and growing Jewish population, which is concentrated on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Jacob Harmatz, 21, and Morris Ratner, 22, have flipped a coin to decide whose name would be on the front, and Harmatz has lost.

1908
Barney Greengrass opens a shop at 1403 Fifth Avenue in New York and becomes known as the sturgeon king.

1911
One of the most important prepared products for the Jewish housewife was the invention of Crisco in 1910. Three years after the product was on the market, Procter & Gamble was advertising that Crisco, a totally vegetable shortening, was a cheap and kosher product for which the "Hebrew race has been waiting 4,000 years". Procter & Gamble, who obviously had done their homework on the Jewish consumer, advertised in the Yiddish press with ads depicting housewives making potato pancakes and strudel with Crisco.

In 1933, P & G published a bilingual (yiddish/english) booklet, "Crisco Recipes for the Jewish Housewife."

1912
"The Settlement Cookbook" (see 1901) is in its sixth printing.

1915
The New York State Legislature enacts the nation's first Kosher Food Law, which was to serve as a model for all subsequent kosher food legislation. It prohibits passing off non-kosher food as kosher and requires stores selling Kosher and non-Kosher food to post signs stating that fact.

1916
New York entrepreneur Aaron Streit, who has gone into partnership with Rabbi Weinberg and opened a matzoh bakery on Pitt Street on, introduces Streit's Matzoh Manhattan's Lower East Side. Aaron's son Jack took over and built the company into a manufacturer of 130 different kosher products doing 65 percent of its business before and during the Passover season.

1918
New York Kosher Food Laws are upheld as Constitutional by the New York State Supreme Court. It is the first of many unsuccessful attempts to render the Law as Unconstitutional.

1921
Eight years after Leo Linderman arrived in America, he launched Lindy's on Broadway where he marketed deli food so well that it was popularized as "Mindy's" in Damon Runyons writings (Guys and Dolls, etc.). The Washburn-Crosby Co. later to be known as General Mills publishes "Gold Medal Flour Cookbook."

1924
The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregation of America was founded in 1898 as a means of bringing cohesion to the fragmented immigrant Jewish populations offers Rabbinic supervision for foods. In 1924, it created its women's branch, and four years after women won the right to vote, the Union's official kashrut supervision and certification program was introduced.

1927
Lender's Bagel Bakery is founded in New Haven, CT by Harry Lender (and subsequently managed by son Murray) to produce the hard glazed rolls that have been known since 1919 as beigels. The word bagel is used for the first time by some accounts, a variation on the Yiddish word beygel, which had been spelled beigel since 1919. The hard glazed roll willgrow to outsell donuts in the U.S.

1928
Isadore Pinckowitz, a Romanian butcher, who peddled meat from the back of a horse-drawn wagon, started making kosher sausages and hot dogs in a sixth floor walk up on the Lower East Side and sold them to Waldbaum's, the largest grocery chain catering to Jewish households.

1930
Maxwell House publishes its first corporate-sponsored Passover Haggadah that is ultimately reprinted several times and distributed in the millions.

1934
Monarch Wine is founded in Brooklyn to produce sacramental wines for use on religious occasions in place of homemade wines. Monarch will lease the name to Manischewitz and will also bottle wines under 17 other labels as it grows to be the largest U.S. producer of fruit wines including blackberry, cherry, elderberry and loganberry.

1935
The U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) in ruling on the Schechter Poultry Corp., a case about a kosher slaughterhouse that is processing "sick chickens". The act which set maximum hours and minimum wages violates the constitution.

Heinz vegetarian beans are endorsed by the OU. The late Frank Butler is Heinz's first full time mashgiach (Rabbinic Supervision).

The Organized Kashrut Laboratories (O.K.) is established by Abraham Goldstein and quickly becomes one of the largest kosher certification agencies.

1937
Celebrating its 60th Anniversary, the Coca Cola company obtains Kosher certification.

1938
Empire Kosher Poultry, Inc. was started in the Catskills by the Katz family.

1940
Stephen Klein opens his first Barton's Candy Store in New York, selling kosher chocolates. He has 50 stores in 10 years.

"The Settlement Cookbook" sells its 500,000th copy.

1943
B. Manischewitz Sales Company (Distributor) was started.

1945
Eugene Herzog, whose family had been making savory kosher wines in Czechoslovakia from 1848 until the Holocaust, came to this country after World War II. On the bottles was the inscription: Herzog's wine. Phillip Herzog, fifth generation in the family business rebuilt in America as Royal Kedem Wine Corporation.

1946
The arrival of tens of thousands of Holocaust survivors puts new life into the U.S. kosher food industry. Many of the immigrants bring their strict kosher standards with them. They bring diverse skills to this country and open manufacturing plants, retail establishments, or go into foodservice.

1947
Certification comes to Baltimore when the orthodox Jewish Council offers rabbinical supervision. It ultimately becomes the Star-K, one of the nation's leading kosher symbols.

1956
The Hungarian Revolution forces tens of thousands of devout Hungarian Jews into exile; most come to the U.S. shores and become a major factor in the growth of the Kosher food industry.

1962
Lender's bought and made operational the first bagel machine. This enables them to significantly expand their markets and ultimately leads to the production of frozen bagels.

1965
Hebrew National hot dogs launch an "We answer to a higher authority" ad campaign to appeal to Jews and non-Jews alike. It quickly becomes a symbol of quality for all classes of consumers. Levy's rye bread also comes up with a campaign to lure all classes of consumers. It's "You don't have to be Jewish to like Levy's" is on billboards everywhere, some with an Indian chief eating the bread.

Historical note is given to the first "mass" marketing of traditionally "Jewish" foods. Arguably, through these ads "kosher" took on a special meaning for the mass market - cleaner, more carefully prepared foods.

1969
The Kof-K Supervision Agency is founded. Based in Teaneck, it is one of the 5 largest in the nation.

1972
The first Establishment Clause challenge to a Kosher food law in some 50 years arouse an effort to enforce the Kosher food ordinance in Miami. By now, many states have consumer protection laws for Kosher, mostly modeled after New York State's extensive statutes to protect kosher consumers.

1987
The first International Kosher Food and Jewish Life Expo is held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. More than 50,000 people attended as an additional 50,000 could not get in. The show which was a combined consumer and trade show moved to the Miami Beach Convention Center in December attracting 25,000 people.

1990
Congressman Stephen J. Solarz (D-N.Y) introduces the first ever Federal Kosher Consumer bill in the U.S. House of Representatives.

1992
The New Jersey Supreme Court declares the states Kosher Laws as unconstitutional. But when the U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear the case it stays within New Jerseys borders. The state continues its active enforcement against consumer fraud in Kosher, which the court said was the state's obligation.

1993
ConAgra acquires Hebrew National Foods. Sara Lee acquires Bessin Corporation (Best Kosher Sausage).

New figures show the dramatic growth of kosher foods: Ethnic Kosher Food Sales are $2 billion. 1.75 million of the 6 million customers for kosher foods are Jewish, the rest are Muslims, Seventh-day Adventists and others who consider kosher food healthier.

Coca-Cola, Coors, General Mills, Hershey, Kraft, Nestle and many other mainstream food companies have obtained kosher certification. Others like Dannon switch to alternate certifications, which they feel appeal to a broader audience.

1994
The number of product lines produced by Hershey Foods in Pennsylvania nears 150.

1995
Bagels are the #2 frozen food category after orange juice in grocery stores. Bagels out number donuts in California.

1996
Menachem Lubinsky of Integrated Marketing Communications Inc. announces new data on the kosher food industry:

* Number of kosher consumers - 2 million Jews; 5 million non-Jews
* Dollar amount of kosher certified products - $35 billion
* Kosher companies at the Fancy Food show - 325
* Kosherfest has 7500 attendees
* Projection is for 9 million regular kosher consumers by 2000
* 36 million potential kosher consumers by 2020
* 50,000 packaged goods items certified kosher

1997
Nabisco acquired the OU for 82 of its products, including its legendary Oreo cookie

The OU, the largest supervision agency, celebrates its 100th Anniversary. The OK Labs moved into new state-of-the-art headquarters in Crown Heights. The Kof-K has updated its advanced computer technology. The Star-K began certifying a fertility clinic, first non-food item. The National Council of Young Israel began its new symbol, in a joint venture with the Star-K.

KOSHERFEST '97, the International Kosher Food and Foodservice Trade Show, was the most successful ever with 369 booths and 10,000 visitors

1999
For the sixth consecutive year, the kosher food industry experiences 15% growth, reaching more than $4 billion in sales.

Manischewitz head Richard Bernstein, who acquired the company for $124 million last year, outlines company's plans for mainstream consumers and targets 40% growth.
Lou G. Segal's, one of America's oldest kosher restaurants, sells its commissary to Weiss Kosher Cuisine after closing the restaurant portion of the business two years earlier. Segal was the first kosher airline caterer.
The first glatt kosher Nathan's in U.S. opens in Brooklyn
Star-Kist targets kosher and pareve market
Wal-Mart pursues kosher market, including the opening of a store in New York's Catskill Mountains.
Miller's Beer obtains OK certification
Wilton Foods acquired by Cohen's
Kosher shopping on the Internet on the rise
Kosher packaged goods in U.S. reaches $130 million
Kashrus Magazine reports 366 kosher certifications on food products in the U.S.

2000
Menachem Lubinsky projects - 9 million regular kosher consumers - 36 million potential kosher consumers - $40 billion spent on all kosher certified products - 50,000 packaged goods items certified kosher.

What is Kashrut

2007-03-07T06:13:00.000-07:00

Kashrut or Kashruth, Kashrus (Hebrew: כַּשְרוּת) or "keeping kosher" (Hebrew: כָּשֵר, kāšēr) is the name of the Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha (Jewish law) is termed kosher in English, from the Hebrew term kashér, meaning "fit" (in this context, fit for consumption by Jews according to traditional Jewish law).

Food not in accord with Jewish law is termed treifah, trafe, or treif (טְרֵפָה) ("torn"); the term originally referred to animals (from a kosher species such as cattle or sheep) which had been either incorrectly slaughtered or mortally wounded by wild beasts and therefore were not fit for human consumption. Among Sephardim, it typically only refers to meat that is not kosher. Sometimes, non-kosher food in general may be dismissed with the colloquial term chazir-treif, which literally means "as unfit as pork", the pig having become perhaps the most notable symbol of the non-kosher animal.

The basic laws of kashrut are in the Torah's Book of Leviticus, with their details set down in the oral law (the Mishnah and the Talmud) and codified by the Shulkhan Arukh and later rabbinical authorities. Many varied reasons have been offered for these laws, ranging from philosophical and ritualistic, to practical and hygienic; see below for examples and explanations.

The word kosher has been borrowed by many languages, including English. In its strictest meaning it means "fit", but as slang it generally means legitimate, acceptable, permissible, genuine or authentic in a broader sense.

Principles

There are many rules and details of Kashrut, not all of which can be detailed in an article. In addition, not only does Orthodox Judaism generally observe a stricter set of rules than Conservative Judaism, but there are differences of detail and nuance among different branches and communities of Orthodox Judaism as well.

Key principles common to Orthodox Judaism and Conservative Judaism are:

* Restrictions on permissible foods (See Kosher foods):

Land animals must be mammals which chew their cud and have cloven hooves.
Birds of prey are prohibited
Fish must have fins and scales (non-fish seafood is prohibited)
Meat and milk (and anything made with dairy and meat products) cannot be served in the same meal, or cooked using the same dishes or utensils, or stored in a way that could cause them to intermingle. Observant Jews have separate dishes for meat and milk.
Kosher slaughter of animals and birds. Kashrut requires all animals (and birds) to be slaughtered by a trained individual (a Shochet) using a special method of slaughter, shechita. Among other features, shechita slaughter severs the jugular vein, carotid artery, oesophagus and trachea in a single cut with a smooth, sharp knife.
Blood must be thoroughly removed from all meat, using one of several methods such as soaking and salting, or broiling.
Utensils (and whole kitchens) which are used with non-kosher foods are generally considered to have been rendered non-kosher, and will transfer that non-kosher status to kosher foods. Alternatively, such utensils may be made kosher again by one of several methods appropriate to the utensil and circumstances. These methods include immersion in boiling water, heating, and other methods.
* Food cannot have been prepared by Jews in a manner breaking the Shabbat (Sabbath).
Special rules on Passover to prevent leavening, including prohibitions on certain grains susceptible to leavening, products derived from them, similar products, and utensils used in preparing and serving them. Observant Jews traditionally have separate (meat and dairy) dishes and utensils for Passover.

Orthodox Judaism has a number of additional strictures, some of which are not universally observed or represent strictures more common in Haredi Judaism:

* Certain foods must have been prepared in whole or in part by Jews, including:

Wine (Kosher wine)
Certain cooked foods (Bishul Yisrael)
Bread (under certain circumstances)
Certain dairy products (Cholov Yisroel)
Utensils purchased from non-Jews must be immersed in a Mikvah prior to use, even if bought new.
Additional strictures on the methods used to kasher.
Continued observance of certain biblical rules for produce grown in the Land of Israel, including the rule of new grain (Yoshon), a modified version of the Biblical tithes including Terumat HaMaaser, Maaser Rishon and Maaser Sheni), and a rule against eating Tevel, produce grown in a manner that violates the Shmita (Sabbatical Year).
Additional restrictions during Passover (Gebruchts)
A variety of additional details

Types of foods

or more details on this topic, see Kosher foods.

Foods are kosher when they meet all criteria that Jewish law applies to food and drinks. Invalidating characteristics may range from the presence of a mixture of meat and milk, to the use of produce from Israel that has not been tithed properly, or even the use of cooking utensils which had previously been used for non-kosher food.

Identification of kosher foods

For more details on this topic, see Hechsher.

Store-bought foods can be identified as kosher by the presence of a hechsher (plural hechsherim), a graphical symbol that indicates that the food has been certified as kosher by a rabbinical authority. (This might be an individual rabbi, but is more often a rabbinic organization.) One of the most common symbols in the United States is the "OU", a U inside a circle, standing for the Union of Orthodox Congregations (or "Orthodox Union"). Many rabbis and organizations, however, have their own certification mark, and the other symbols are too numerous to list.

A solitary K is sometimes used as a symbol for kosher, but as this symbol cannot be trademarked (the method by which other symbols are protected from misuse) in the United States, it does not indicate anything other than the fact that the company producing the food considers it to be kosher.

It is not sufficient to read the list of ingredients on a product label in order to determine a food's kosher status, as many things are not included in this list, such as pan lubricants and release agents (which may be derived from lard), flavorings (even "natural flavorings" may be derived from non-kosher substances) and others. It can, however, identify obviously unkosher substances present in food.

Producers of food items and food additives can contact Jewish authorities to have their product deemed kosher. A committee will visit their facilities to inspect production methods and contents of the product and issue a certificate if everything is in order. In many product classes, constant supervision is required.

For various reasons, such as changes in manufacturing processes, products known to be kosher on one day might not be kosher tomorrow; a change in lubricating oil to one containing tallow, for instance. Often, these changes will be coordinated with the supervising rabbi or organization, to ensure that new packaging, which will not suggest any hechsher or kashrut, will be used for the new formulation. But in some cases, the supply of preprinted labels with the hechsher may still find its way onto the now non-kosher product; for such reasons, there is an active "grapevine" among the Jewish community, as well as newspapers and periodicals, identifying which products are now questionable, as well as products which have become kosher but whose labels have yet to carry the hechsher.

Attempts to explain the Kashrut laws

There continues to be a debate among various theories about the purposes and meaning of the laws regarding Kashrut.

Jewish religious explanations

Traditional Jewish philosophy divides the 613 mitzvot into mishpatim (laws which can be explained rationally) and chukim (laws which cannot be explained rationally). Those categorized as chukim include such laws as the Red Heifer (Numbers 19). There are three basic points of view regarding these laws:

One view [specify] holds that these laws do have a reason, but it is not understood because the ultimate explanation for mitzvot is beyond the human intellect.

Some Jewish scholars have held that these dietary laws should simply be categorized with a group of laws that are considered irrational in that there is no particular explanation for their existence. The reason for this is that there are some of God's regulations for mankind that the human mind is not necessarily capable of understanding. Related to this is the idea that the dietary laws were given as a demonstration of God's authority and that man should obey without asking for a reason.

For example, Maimonides holds that all the laws given by God have a reason, that we are permitted to seek out what these reasons may be, and that we should feel comfortable in knowing that rational reasons exist for all of God's laws in the Torah, even if we are not sure of what some of these reasons are. For Maimonides, the idea that God gave laws without any reason is anathema.

Others argue that laws in the category of chukim were given because of the tendency to rationalize and probe — a sort of reminder that, while the universe is generally explainable, one cannot possibly understand everything.

Hasidic view of the laws of Kashrut

According to the teachings of Hasidism, when a Jew manipulates any object for a holy reason (which includes eating, if it is done with a proper intention -- to provide strength to follow laws of Torah), he releases "sparks of Holiness" which are found in every object. [2] These "sparks" are actually channels of connection with the Divinity, and their "activation" allows to draw the Divine Presence into the physical world. [3]

However, there are some types of animals, whose products are not applicable for performance of commandments, because the "sparks of holiness" cannot be released from their matter. [4] Therefore, we are provided with "signs" of the animals whose sparks can be released [5]. These signs are split hooves (hooves symbolize connection with material world which, however, is not so complete as to lose connection with the spiritual world), and rechewing of food (food symbolizes Torah or in more general terms, holiness; rechewing of food symbolizes ability to penetrate deeper into some holy concepts or penetrate deeped into holiness, as is necessary to separate sparks from their matter). For fish (which symbolize sages), these signs are scales (protection from water, which is a symbol of intellectual influence) and fins (that gives fish ability to move in water better, which symbolizes ability to move from one area of Torah or holiness to another).

It must be noted that these signs are not the causes of these animals not being kosher (so, according to Talmud, if a camel is born with completely split hooves, it does not become kosher), they are merely signs that alert us to spiritual characteristics of these animals' products (namely, whether it's possible to activate their "sparks of Divinity") which cannot be seen from the physical perspective.[6]

Contemporary academic opinions

Ritual purity and holiness

Cultural anthropologist Mary Douglas has written on just how the Israelites may have used the idea of distinction as a way to create holiness. Her seminal work, Purity and Danger (1966), is still studied today. One theory is that the laws serve as a distinction between the Israelites and the non-Israelite nations of the world. Gordon Wenham writes: "The laws reminded Israel what sort of behaviour was expected of her, that she had been chosen to be holy in an unclean world."

Similarly, according to this theory, the practice of Kashrut serves as a daily exercise in self-discipline and self-control, strengthening the practitioner's ability to choose other difficult paths. The ability to rationally curb one's most basic appetites can be seen as the prerequisite to living in a civilized society. Also, Jews consider the aspects of Kosher slaughter which emphasize and incorporate the need to avoid unnecessary suffering of the animal a reminder to the believer that having the power of life and death or to cause suffering, even to a farm animal born and bred to be eaten, is a serious responsibility rather than a pleasure to be sought after; and that to actually indulge in pleasure in the power to cause suffering, even in so common a practice as hunting, is to damage our own moral sensibilities.

The prohibition against eating the fruits of a tree for the first three years also represents a capacity for self-discipline and self-denial, as well as a lengthy period of appreciation for the bounty of God, prior to losing oneself in its enjoyment. Similarly, the requirement to tithe one's harvest, aside from the social justice aspect, serves as a reminder that this material wealth is not purely the result of one's own efforts, but represents a gift from God; and as such, to share the gift with one's fellows does not represent a real loss to anyone, even oneself.

Symbolic purpose

During the first few centuries of the Common Era some philosophers held that the laws of kashrut were symbolic in character. In this view, kosher animals represent virtues, while non-kosher animals represent vices. The first indication of this view can be found in the 1st century BCE Letter of Aristeas (par. 145-148, 153). It later reappears in the writings of Philo of Alexandria, and in the writings of some of the early Church Fathers.

This hypothesis has long since been rejected by most Jewish and Christian scholars. Modern Biblical criticism also has found nothing to support this hypothesis, although the concept of the pig as a particularly 'unclean' animal persists among Jews.

Although the symbolic explanation for kashrut has been largely rejected, a number of authorities maintain that the laws are intended to promote ethical and moral behavior. A recent authority who has reexamined the symbolic/ethical meaning of kashrut is Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (Germany, 19th century).

To some degree, the prohibition on combining milk with meat represents a symbolic separation between death, represented by the flesh of a dead animal, and life, represented by the milk required to sustain a newborn creature. The often-quoted humane component to this law is also of symbolic value; the Torah prohibits 'seething the kid (goat, sheep, calf) in its mother's milk', a practice cruel only in concept, which would not be understood as cruelty by either the kid or its mother and would not cause them additional suffering; but which could still potentially inflame a human's taste for ultimate power over those creatures who are weaker. Thus, Kashrut prohibits the practice itself, even if the resulting mixture is to be discarded.

Similarly, the prohibition against consuming carnivorous mammals and birds, 'loathsome crawling creatures', and scavengers, as well as the prohibition against consuming sick or diseased animals, would seem to rely, at least in part, on their perceived symbolic character.

Maintenance of a separate culture

According to Christian theologian Gordon J. Wenham, the purpose of Kashrut is to help maintain Jews as a separate people. The laws of Kashrut had the effect of preventing socialization and intermarriage with non-Jews, helping the Jewish community maintain its identity. Wenham writes that "circumcision was a private matter, but the food laws made one's Jewish faith a public affair. Observance of the food laws was one of the outward marks of a practicing Jew, and this in turn enhanced Jewish attachment to them as a reminder of their special status."[2]

Hygiene

There have been attempts to provide empirical support for the view that kashrut laws have hygienic benefits.

It was believed by some people [specify] that kosher animals were healthier to eat than non-kosher animals. It was also noted that the laws of purity (Leviticus 11–15) not only describe the difference between clean and unclean animals, but also describe other phenomena that appear to be related to health. For instance, glatt, the requirement that lungs be checked to be free of adhesions, would prevent consumption of animals who had been infected with tuberculosis; similarly, the ban on slaughtering of an unconscious animal would eliminate many sick and possibly infectious animals from being consumed. Such a rationale seems reasonable when considering the laws prohibiting the consumption of carrion birds or birds of prey (which are advantageous scavengers), as they may carry disease from the carrion they consume; shellfish, which as filter feeders can accumulate harmful parasites or toxins; or pork, which can harbor trichinosis if not properly cooked. Thus, it was natural for many to assume that all the laws of kashrut were merely hygienic in intent and origin. One of the rabbinical authorities that mention the hygiene hypothesis is Maimonides in his Guide for the Perplexed.

For a number of reasons, however, this idea has fallen out of favor among Biblical scholars. Fruits and vegetables may be eaten without prohibition even though there are many poisonous herbs, seeds, berries and fruits. Additionally, this hypothesis does not explain other parts of the Jewish dietary laws; for instance forbidding the consumption of fish without true scales, such as sharks and swordfish, fruit from trees which are less than four years old, or residual blood in meat.

In 1953, Dr. David I. Macht, a Johns Hopkins University researcher, performed experiments on many different kinds of animals and fish, and concluded that the concentration of zoological toxins of the "unclean" animals was higher than that of the "clean" animals, and that the correlation with the description in Leviticus was 100%.[3] In addition, Dr. Macht's research indicated harmful physiological effects of mixtures of meat and milk, and ritually slaughtered meat appeared to be lower in toxins than meat from other sources[4] The conclusions of the paper published in Johns Hopkins Bulletin of the History of Medicine was challenged in a paper by biologists written at the request of a Seventh-day Adventist Church publication.[5]

Other reasons

Others have hypothesized that there are multiple reasons for the laws of Kashrut, with each law serving one or more than one purpose.

Sociologist Marvin Harris has proposed that the Jewish prohibition of pork results from the fact that in arid countries such as Israel, it is possible to raise pork only by feeding it grains that are also eaten by people, since the pigs cannot forage in nonexistent forests. In bad harvest years, there would be a social conflict between those who could afford to raise and eat pork and those who would be at risk of starvation due to the scarcity of edible grains. Thus, in the interest of social survival, the prohibition entered the Jewish religion, with evident success, in survival terms at least. Harris in "Cows, Pigs, Wars and Witches" cites worldwide examples of similar ecologically determined religious practices, including other prohibitions of pork for similar reasons. According to Harris, pork requires too much salt to guarantee the elimination of the carcass liquids due to high fat content. The reverse process of washing out the preserving salt when it came to eating the meat also made it difficult to justify. This same reason would apply to many other forbidden foods either because salting preservation was impossible or because the salting process was not reversible.

U.S. Laws regarding use of the word Kosher

In some states in the U.S. (Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Virginia, as well as local ordinances in two counties in Florida and the Independent City of Baltimore), statutes defined "kosher" and made it a crime to sell a product which was called "kosher" if, in general, it was not processed in accordance with the Jewish religion. Earlier court decisions upheld some of these laws. Courts have since determined that because this represents a state establishment of a religious practice, when such laws have been challenged, they have been struck down. Those who oppose the above rulings argue that kashrut is simply a set of standards for food preparation, nothing more; there is no difference between labelling something "low sodium", "high-fiber", "pasteurized", "kosher", "calcium-enriched", or "contains no cholesterol".

Baltimore's City ordinance creating a kosher law was found to be unconstitutional: Barghout v. Bureau of Kosher Meat & Food Control, 66 F. 3d 1337 (4th Cir. 1995).
New Jersey's Kosher laws were found to violate the Establishment clauses of both the New Jersey state constitution and the First Amendment: Perretti v. Ran-Dav's County Kosher Inc., 289 N.J. Super 618, 674 A. 2d 647 (Superior Ct. Appellate Div 1996). The opinion was affirmed by the New Jersey Supreme Court in which it found that the State's use of "Orthodox Jewish law" as a basis for the definition of kosher was an adoption of substantive religious standards which violated the State and Federal constitutions. 129 N.J. 155. The State's response was to create a new law which avoids any definition of a standard for what is or is not considered kosher. Instead, establishments which claim to be kosher must publicize what they mean by that, and the State will check to ensure that this standard is adhered to. For example, kosher restaurants must display a poster (provided by the Kosher Food Enforcement Bureau) on which they display the name of their rabbinic certifier, how often he inspects the place, whether or not he requires all ingredients to be kosher-supervised, and so on. In this manner, government enforcement becomes a consumer-protection issue, and avoids the problems of advancing any particular religious view.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit found that the challenged provisions of New York's Kosher Fraud law "on their face violate the Establishment Clause because they excessively entangle the State of New York with religion and impermissibly advance Orthodox Judaism." Commack Self-Serv. Kosher Meats, Inc. v. Weiss, 294 F.3d 415 (2d Cir. 2002), 45 ATLA L. Rep. 282 (October 2002). The Supreme Court refused to hear the case, and denied certiorari (123 S. Ct. 1250 (mem.) (2003)). The statute has since been revised and a new statute, The McKinney's Agriculture and Markets Law Sec. 201-a has since been passed.

In common vernacular

In English and Hebrew, the term kosher is frequently used in a metaphorical sense to mean "fitting" or "correct". This is also its conventional meaning in Hebrew. For example, a mezuzah, a Tefillin, a Torah scroll or even an etrog can be kosher (if it is fit for ritual use) or non-kosher (if it is unfit for ritual use), but their "kashrut" has nothing to do with food.

It is also part of some common product names. For example, "kosher salt" (technically "kashering salt") is a form of salt which has irregularly-shaped crystals, making it particularly suitable for preparing meat in accordance with Kashrut law because the increased surface area of the crystals absorbs blood more effectively. Likewise, a "kosher pickle" is a particular style of pickle that originated in Eastern European kosher delicatessens with a distinctive flavor. This is the same reason why the usage of the term "kosher-style" became frequently used in the food industry, from delis to restaurants, and even street vendors.

Protection of the term

Consumer-protection laws in many jurisdictions prohibit use of the term "kosher" unless it is shown to conform to Jewish dietary laws, however this will be defined differently for different jurisdictions and situations. For example, in some places the law may require that a rabbi certify the kashrut, and in others it is sufficient that the manufacturer believes the product to be kosher. Most packaged food products that are labelled "kosher" will therefore have some level of certification of compliance with the laws of kashrut, though individuals must determine if that level is adequate for themselves. More detail on the "legal" usage of the term "kosher" can be found in the section above entiled "U.S. Laws regarding use of the word Kosher"

Israeli usage of the term

A new movement in Israel[6] demands that an establishment — a grocery store or restaurant — will only be considered fully kosher if its employees are paid a decent wage and treated fairly, and there is access for the handicapped. This will require a second certificate of kashrut in addition to the standard one.

Ethical Eating

The translation of the root כ ש ר (KaSheR) when used in this context is generally accepted to be about the "fitness" of the food for consumption. There are two major trains of thought on alternative ways that "kashrut" should be practiced in order to more broadly categorize food as fit for consumption. In addition to these two major trains of thought, some, especially in the United Kingdom, have taken the fitness of the food they eat as directly dependent on how ethically it was produced, specifically in relation to its impact on the world and its people. For instance only Fairtrade teas and coffees are served in some synagogues and community centers and eggs used are organic or free range.

Vegetarianism

Since there are few laws of kashrut restricting the consumption of plant products, many people assume that a strictly vegetarian meal would usually be inherently kosher. In practice, however, those who follow the laws of kashrut do not automatically regard all restaurants or prepared or canned food which claim to be vegetarian as kosher, due to the likelihood that the utensils were used previously with non-kosher products, as well as the concern that there may be non-kosher ingredients mixed in, which, although they may still be considered vegetarian, would make the food not kosher. Additionally, kashrut does provide special requirements for some vegetarian products, such as wine and bread.

Many vegetarian restaurants and producers of vegetarian foods do in fact acquire a hechsher, certifying that a Rabbinical organization has approved their products as being kosher. In addition to the above concerns, the hechsher will usually certify that certain suspect vegetables have been checked for insect infestation, and that steps have been taken to ensure that any cooked food meets the requirements of bishul Yisrael.

Most vegetables, particularly leafy vegetables (lettuce, cabbage, parsley, dill, etc.), must be thoroughly checked for insect infestation. The consumption of insects involves five violations of Torah law[citation needed], so according to Jewish Law it is a greater sin than the consumption of pork. The proper procedure for inspecting and cleaning will vary by species, growing conditions, and the views of any particular rabbi.

The situation is not always reversible, however; although pareve food can contain neither meat nor dairy, that label on a product cannot be always used by vegetarians as a reliable indication, since Kashrut considers fish to be parev. However, in practice it is rare to find fish products in pareve foods; moreover, because of potential issues of mixing meat and fish (see Fish and seafood) many Kashrut supervising authorities specifically indicate the presence of fish products when they are found in pareve foods.

People who have specific dietary needs should be aware that their standards for certain concepts may differ from the halachic standards for similar concepts.

Many coffee creamers currently sold in the United States are labeled as "non-dairy", yet also have a "D" alongside their hechsher, which indicates a dairy status. This is because of an ingredient (usually sodium caseinate) which is derived from milk. The rabbis consider it to be close enough to milk that it cannot be mixed with meat, but the US government considers it to lack the nutritional value of milk. Such products are also unsuitable for vegans and other strict dairy abstainers.
On the other hand, kashrut does recognize some processes as capable of converting a meat or dairy product into a pareve one. For example, rennet is sometimes made from stomach linings, yet is acceptable for making kosher cheese,[7] but such cheeses might not be acceptable to some vegetarians, who would eat only cheese made from a vegetarian rennet. The same applies to kosher gelatin which in some cases is an animal product, despite its pareve status.
Kashrut has procedures by which equipment can be cleaned of its previous non-kosher use, but that might be inadequate for vegetarians or other religions. For example, dairy manufacturing equipment can be cleaned well enough that the rabbis will grant pareve status to products manufactured afterward. Nevertheless, someone with a strong allergic sensitivity to dairy products might still react to the dairy residue, and that is why some products will have a "milk" warning on a product which is legitimately pareve.

Kashrut and animal welfare

The practice of kosher slaughter emphasizes the sharpness of the knife and the accuracy and precision of the skill of the shochet, in order to slit the jugular of the animal with an absolute minimum of pain and suffering. In general, over the years authorities have ruled that any unnecessary suffering by the animal can render otherwise kosher meat traife. Nevertheless, the method of slaughter used in strict adherence to Jewish law has been criticized as being inhumane by a number of animal rights organizations, in particular because animals are killed without the use of anesthesia (traditional kashrut would often not allow for anesthesia, as it may severely injure the animal before it is slaughtered, rendering it Treifa, and because Kashrut prohibits slaughter of an unconscious animal.) This has resulted in several restrictions or even an outright ban on kosher meat in a number of countries, sometimes encompassing related practices such as Muslim halal slaughter, though other countries grant ritualistic slaughter such as kashrut special exemption from the relevant regulations.

Some animal rights groups object to some forms of kosher slaughter, claiming it can take several minutes for the animal to die and can often cause immense suffering. Jewish groups point to studies showing that the technique is no more painful than conventional techniques, and in most cases quicker and less painful; the emphasis on flawless procedure and tools contrasts with the often sloppy production line methodology of the slaughterhouse resulting in failure to stun the animal, as often described by animal rights advocates in other contexts. However, the conclusions of these studies are sometimes rejected by animal rights advocates. In addition, there are campaigns to have the practice of ritualistic slaughter globally banned. In any case, causing any form of unnecessary suffering to animals is forbidden under Jewish law (Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 32-33). Specific Kashrut laws counter some of the rituals of ancient times such eating only one leg of a live animal so that people would not have to deal with eating the entire animal at one time (Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 56b); this law applies even to non-Jews and is part of the Noahide Laws.

In some ways, modern slaughtering practices and kashrut practices clash, although both may have good intentions with respect to hygiene and animal welfare; for instance, kashrut prohibits slaughter of an unconscious animal, for reasons of avoiding consumption of a diseased animal as well as the possibility of inhumane means of anesthesia, and relies on the skill of the shochet and the sharpness of the knife to slit the jugular as painlessly as possible. On the other hand, for reasons of hygiene, modern slaughterhouse regulations prohibit the carcass of an animal from falling into the blood of another, so that animals are often suspended by a leg before being slaughtered; they would normally be stunned by a blow to the head to prevent suffering in this process, but the prohibition of slaughter of an unconscious animal prevents this for kosher slaughter. Of course, other methods of supporting the carcass of the animal after it is slaughtered are available, but since they are more expensive and not routinely used for non-kosher slaughter, slaughterhouses are reluctant to adopt them, and when they do often greatly raise the price of the meat to compensate for the non-standard technique.

See also

* Kosher foods
* Jewish cuisine
* Judaism
* Halal
* Muslim dietary laws
* Kosher tax
* Taboo food and drink
* Clean animals
* Unclean animals

Notes

1. ^ Mishneh Torah Korbanot, Temurah 4:13 (in eds. Frankel; "Rambam L'Am")
2. ^ Gordon J. Wenham, "The Theology of Unclean Food," The Evangelical Quarterly 53, January March 1981, p.6-15
3. ^ Macht, Dr. David I.. "An Experimental Pharmalogical Appreciation of Leviticus XI and Deuteronomy XIV" (pdf). Bulletin of the History of Medicine 27:444-450.
4. ^ David I. Macht, Medical Leaves 1940; 3:174-184
5. ^ Ministry Magazine, March 1953, p37-38 "This Question of Unclean Meats" Responses to Macht's study from heads of biology depts.
6. ^ Chicago Jewish Star, September 30, 2005, front page.
7. ^ The rennet must be Kosher, either microbial or from special productions of animal rennet using Kosher calf stomachs.[1] Retrieved August 10, 2005.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article Kashrut.

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