The Simplicity Of Keeping Kosher
By Amber Jonas
There is simplicity in keeping kosher if you are Jewish. It isin the Torah, and not hard to decipher. One need not be Jewishto read and understand the law as stated.
Here are the basic rules:
1. Certain creatures may not be eaten, not even the smallestpart about them including their eggs if they are birds.
2. Any creature that is okay to eat must be killed according tothe law as written in the Torah.
3. No blood from any creature may be eaten; it must be drainedcompletely or broiled away.
4. There are even certain pieces of allowed creatures that maynot be eaten.
5. Meat may not be eaten with dairy, and may not come incontact with each other, nor may any utensils used on eithermay come in contact with each other.
6. Any non-Jewish produced grape product may not be eaten.
If you are a vegetarian, keeping kosher is your normal state ofliving. The very hardest part of keeping kosher is how to dealwith meat products. There is a very precise ritual in how tokill any living thing for food. There are very precise lists ofwhat exactly may or may not be eaten. Leviticus and Deuteronomyboth state anything which has cloven hooves AND chews a cud maybe eaten. Anything with fins and scales may be eaten. The fowlare less clear, but there is a list that says what may not beeaten, leaving everything else open for food.
Keeping kosher while eating meat products is difficult unlessthere is a kosher meat shop in your area, or unless the meat iswrapped and stamped kosher. To keep kosher meat it must beslaughtered by a shochet. This is not an average butcher, but abutcher who is a devout, and obedient to Jewish law. The shochetis practiced in slaughtering so deftly and quickly that it is avirtually painless process. Keeping kosher means there is to beno undo pain or stress on the animal that is being butchered. Ifit is found that a butchering knife had a nick, or the animalwas not properly dispatched in any way, the meat may not becalled kosher and may not be eaten by any Jewish people, thoughit may be sold to non-Jews.
The easiest way for a Jewish cook to keep kosher, whether inthe home or in a public eating-place, is to keep separateutensils in the kitchen. There should be pots, pans, andcutlery in separate areas of the room designated for eithercooking meats or dairy. This is, perhaps, the hardest part ofkeeping kosher for a Jewish family in today's world. Now,everything has to be so fast, so on the go; but to keep koshertakes time, thought and preparation. Once the food is placed onthe table, it tastes the same, looks the same and really, is thesame, as anything called non-kosher. Keeping kosher is not aboutthe food itself, but about the ritual behind it's preparation.
About the Author: Thanks for reading. If you found this articlehelpful be sure to check out more information, tips, and morearticles about Jewish cooking on my website:http://www.jewishhomecooking.com
Source: http://www.isnare.com
There is simplicity in keeping kosher if you are Jewish. It isin the Torah, and not hard to decipher. One need not be Jewishto read and understand the law as stated.
Here are the basic rules:
1. Certain creatures may not be eaten, not even the smallestpart about them including their eggs if they are birds.
2. Any creature that is okay to eat must be killed according tothe law as written in the Torah.
3. No blood from any creature may be eaten; it must be drainedcompletely or broiled away.
4. There are even certain pieces of allowed creatures that maynot be eaten.
5. Meat may not be eaten with dairy, and may not come incontact with each other, nor may any utensils used on eithermay come in contact with each other.
6. Any non-Jewish produced grape product may not be eaten.
If you are a vegetarian, keeping kosher is your normal state ofliving. The very hardest part of keeping kosher is how to dealwith meat products. There is a very precise ritual in how tokill any living thing for food. There are very precise lists ofwhat exactly may or may not be eaten. Leviticus and Deuteronomyboth state anything which has cloven hooves AND chews a cud maybe eaten. Anything with fins and scales may be eaten. The fowlare less clear, but there is a list that says what may not beeaten, leaving everything else open for food.
Keeping kosher while eating meat products is difficult unlessthere is a kosher meat shop in your area, or unless the meat iswrapped and stamped kosher. To keep kosher meat it must beslaughtered by a shochet. This is not an average butcher, but abutcher who is a devout, and obedient to Jewish law. The shochetis practiced in slaughtering so deftly and quickly that it is avirtually painless process. Keeping kosher means there is to beno undo pain or stress on the animal that is being butchered. Ifit is found that a butchering knife had a nick, or the animalwas not properly dispatched in any way, the meat may not becalled kosher and may not be eaten by any Jewish people, thoughit may be sold to non-Jews.
The easiest way for a Jewish cook to keep kosher, whether inthe home or in a public eating-place, is to keep separateutensils in the kitchen. There should be pots, pans, andcutlery in separate areas of the room designated for eithercooking meats or dairy. This is, perhaps, the hardest part ofkeeping kosher for a Jewish family in today's world. Now,everything has to be so fast, so on the go; but to keep koshertakes time, thought and preparation. Once the food is placed onthe table, it tastes the same, looks the same and really, is thesame, as anything called non-kosher. Keeping kosher is not aboutthe food itself, but about the ritual behind it's preparation.
About the Author: Thanks for reading. If you found this articlehelpful be sure to check out more information, tips, and morearticles about Jewish cooking on my website:http://www.jewishhomecooking.com
Source: http://www.isnare.com
posted by Gene at
7/12/2007
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