What makes products kosher

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Whether a particular food is considered kosher or not usually has to do with whether any substance or product used in its manufacture was derived from a non-kosher animal or even an animal that is kosher but was not slaughtered in the prescribed manner.

Often described with the Yiddish word milchig , these are foods, such as cheese, milk, yogurt, ice cream, etc. Often referred to with the Yiddish word fleischig , this includes all kosher animals and fowl slaughtered in the prescribed manner, and their derivative products.

In keeping kosher, it is necessary to keep all dairy and meat foods completely separate — which, unless one is vegetarian, necessitates separate sets of dishes and cooking utensils. Pareve foods, however, may be mixed in and served with either category of food since these foods are neither milk nor meat. Kosher laws prohibit serving meat and dairy together. Kashrut's Modern Evolution. Definitions of Kosher. Non-Jews and Kosher Foods. Kosher Style.

Featured Video. Read More. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for thespruceeats. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. The Torah states that kosher mammals are those that chew their cud ruminants and are cloven-hoofed.

The following animal species are among those considered to be kosher: addax, antelope, bison, cow, deer, gazelle, giraffe, goat, ibex and sheep. In addition, kosher meat and poultry require special preparation, which will be discussed below. Poultry: The Torah does not enumerate specific characteristics to distinguish permitted and forbidden birds. Instead, it enumerates 24 forbidden species of fowl, while all other birds are considered to be kosher. Nonetheless, for various reasons, in practice we eat only those birds which have an established tradition that the species is kosher.

In the United States, the only poultry accepted by mainstream kashrut organizations as kosher are chicken, turkey, duck and goose. Fish: The Torah establishes two criteria to determine which fish are kosher. The fish must have fins and scales. The scales must be easily removable without damaging the skin. All shellfish are prohibited. Unlike meat and poultry, fish requires no special preparation. Nonetheless, the fish scales must be visible to the consumer in order to establish the kosher status of the fish.

Therefore, filleted or ground fish should not be purchased unless properly supervised, or the fillet should have a skin tab with scales attached to the flesh. Furthermore, purchasing fish in a non-kosher fish store is problematic — even if the scales are intact — because the knives and tables are not kosher, and Rabbinic guidance should therefore be sought. Processed and smoked fish products require reliable rabbinic supervision, as do all processed foods.

The trachea and esophagus of the animal are severed with a special razor-sharp, perfectly smooth blade, causing instantaneous death with no pain to the animal. Only a trained kosher slaughterer shochet , whose piety and expertise have been attested to by rabbinic authorities, is qualified to slaughter an animal for kosher consumption. Bedika Inspection : After the animal has been properly slaughtered, a trained inspector bodek inspects the internal organs for any physiological abnormalities that may render the animal non-kosher treif.

The lungs, in particular, must be examined in order to determine that there are no adhesions sirchot , which may be indicative of a puncture in the lungs. If an adhesion is found, the bodek must further examine it carefully to determine its kosher status. It should be noted that in addition to fulfilling the requirements of halacha Jewish law , the bedika of internal organs insures a standard of quality that exceeds government requirements.

Glatt Kosher: Though not all adhesions render an animal non-kosher, some Jewish communities or individuals only eat meat of an animal that has been found to be free of all adhesions on its lungs.

Nikkur Excising : In some kosher animal species, many blood vessels, nerves and lobes of fat are forbidden and must be removed. Koshering Meat : The Torah forbids the consumption of the blood of an animal. Once meat is cooked prior to kashering, it cannot be made kosher. The meat must first be soaked for a half hour in cool not ice water in a utensil designated only for that purpose.

After allowing for excess water to drip off the meat, the meat is thoroughly salted so that the entire surface is covered with a thin layer of salt. Only coarse salt should be used. Both sides of meat and poultry must be salted. All loose inside sections of poultry must be removed before the kashering process begins. Each part must be soaked and salted individually. If the meat or poultry was sliced during the salting process, the newly exposed surfaces of the cut must now be soaked for a half hour and salted as well.

The salted meat is left for an hour on an inclined or perforated surface to allow the blood to flow down freely. The cavity of the poultry should be placed open, in a downward direction.

After the salting, the meat must be thoroughly soaked, and then thoroughly washed to remove all of the applied salt. According to Jewish law, meat must be kashered within 72 hours after slaughter so as not to allow the blood to congeal.

If meat has been thoroughly soaked prior to the 72 hours limit, an additional seventy-two hours time stay is granted to complete the first step of the salting process. Liver may only be kashered through broiling, because of the preponderance of blood in it. Both the liver and meat must first be thoroughly washed to remove all surface blood.

They are then salted slightly on all sides. Subsequently, they are broiled specifically on a designated liver-broiling perforated grate over an open fire, which draws out the internal blood. When kashering liver, slits must be made in the liver prior to broiling. The meat or liver must be broiled on both sides until the outer surface appears to be dry and brown.