The term “kosher” is associated primarily with Jewish cuisine and the laws of Judaism. But what is the essence of the kosher food? The food completely corresponding to all requirements of kashrut, the Jewish law about use in food, is considered to be kosher.

The system of kosher food is very old and traditional. One of the main aims of cooking and eating kosher food is to make food rational and healthy. Only organic food is allowed to be eaten. However, the kosher cuisine is diverse – there are kosher pastry, kosher soups, salads, and snacks. Even if you are looking for a healthy kosher snack for gambling in an online casino such as NationalCasino.com/en_ca, you will find many variants of healthy kosher snacks in the Jewish cuisine. Let’s take a closer look at which foods are permitted under Judaism.

Kosher meat

Only the meat of animals which are both ruminants (strictly herbivorous) and cloven-hoofed (have bifurcated hooves) may be eaten. These are cows, sheep, and goats, as well as gazelles, giraffes, etc. In other words, pork and rabbit meat are prohibited.

Only the front part of the carcass may be used as food. An animal that has been hunted or killed is not fit to be eaten. To become a shochet (slaughterer of cattle) one has to study for many years. This is the only way to gain a general knowledge of Jewish law. The shochet then undergoes a special course for slaughterers which lasts about a year and culminates in an exam. Only then is he qualified to slaughter animals. The mashgiach (an expert who ensures that the product conforms to kashrut regulations) oversees the entire process, and then gives the kosher seal of approval. That’s why the kosher food has a deep sacral meaning for all the Jews.

The bird

The Torah does not define any attributes for kosher birds. Since there is no way today to accurately identify all the kosher and non kosher birds listed in the Torah, only domestic birds are eaten. These are chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, and pigeons.

Fish

Signs of kosher fish are scales and fins. Catfish and eel will not appear on the table of kashrut observant, and neither will other sea creatures such as lobsters, shrimps, oysters, and crabs. Red caviar is kosher, black caviar is not.

Eggs

Only eggs from kosher birds are considered to be kosher.  A necessary but not sufficient indication that an egg is kosher is that the ends are different (one is sharper, the other is more rounded). Eggs of bird species that have identical ends, either both sharp or both dull, are obviously non-kosher (usually, such birds are carnivores or scavengers). Since blood is strictly forbidden, eggs with a blood clot in them are not kosher.

Bread

Homemade bread prepared by a non-Jew is not kosher, and only bread from a non-Jewish bakery may be consumed that observes the kosher nature of all the ingredients. All spirits made from grapes (wine, cognac, and brandy) must be produced exclusively by religious Jews, beginning with the stage of squeezing the juice from the grapes.

Cooking kosher dishes

And what about cooking process? Since eating insects is prohibited (except for some locusts), great attention is paid to purity of food, herbs are thoroughly washed, flour and cereals are sifted, larvae of caterpillars from cabbage and worms from fruit are removed.

The cooking process requires a certain amount of care and good organisation. Electric cookers are preferable to gas cookers because the burner can be red-hot and all the “escaped” food is burned. Those who can afford it have two cookers as well as two sinks. If there is only one sink in the kitchen, dishes are washed in basins.

Conclusion

In any case, even for non-Jews, the kosher label on the label speaks to the high quality of the product. Since kosher food is also healthy for non-Jews, cooking and eating kosher food has a big spiritual special meaning for all the Jewish people.