3 Answers

6dogs4us

Karma: 152225

Kosher foods are those that conform to the regulations of the Jewish Halakhic law framework, kosher meaning fit or allowed to be eaten. A list of some Kosher foods are found in the book of Leviticus 11:1-47. There are also certain Kosher rules found there. 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 the use of non-kosher cooking utensils and machinery.

12 years ago. Rating: 2
Comment this answer

Clonge

Karma: 339225

The fundamental physical requirements that a species of mammals need to have are two:

a. It's hooves should be split

b. It should be chewing it's cud; this means it should have four sections of food digestion

There are basically three species of domestic animals that are kosher: cattle, sheep and goats. Though not very widely available also deer, bison, gazelle, antelope, giraffe and more fall into this category.

Fowl: Even though the Torah has no clear description of the requirements that a bird needs to have to be kosher, the Talmud provides us with signs to recognize fowl that is not kosher. Nowadays, we can not claim to be experienced enough anymore to apply these rules. Therefore we only eat the species of fowl that we know were being eaten in the generations before us. This includes: all types of the common chicken, common domestic ducks, geese, doves and others. There are communities that accept quail to be kosher too.

Fish: The Torah permits only those fish that have fins and scales. Some fish have very small scales and still others lose their scales upon being removed from the water; they are, nevertheless, permitted. Swimming creatures that are not fish are not kosher.

There are hundreds of species of kosher fish, including carp, mackerel, cod, anchovies, herring, tuna, salmon, trout, bass, sole, flounder, whitefish, bluefish, tilapia and pike. The rabbinate will soon publish a list of the kosher fish that are widely available in Bulgaria.

Insects: All types of insects, whether big or miniscule, are considered un-kosher. Food products (even vegetables) that have a reasonable possibility of being infested need to be checked in order to avoid their presence in the food.

Slaughter: All types of mammals and fowl that can be considered kosher (as mentioned above) require a ritual slaughtering. The slaughtering is performed by a "shochet" that has been educated thoroughly for this function. The slaughtering is performed in a manner in which the animal's nerve system is rapidly shut off, which causes the animal to experience the least amount of suffering necessary. Attacks that are sporadically launched on Jewish ritual slaughter, stem forth from a lack of knowledge about the procedure and about the animals Biology as a whole. Frequently, such attacks contain far different motives then the promotion of animal rights.

After the slaughtering of the animal, it is checked by a professional "bodek" which checks if the animal didn't contain any blemishes before it was slaughtered. Following this certain parts of forbidden fats and nerves are removed. This too is a very skilled labor.

Since it is prohibited by the Torah to consume any blood (even of kosher animals), all slaughtered animals require the final step of "kosherization" called melicha. This includes washing the meat properly, salting its entire surface, and washing it again. Liver can only be kosherized by roasting it thoroughly on the fire.

Any product derived from animals can only be consumed if it comes from the species that are allowed.