Perhaps you’ve already come across the term “kosher”. The term has already become part of the English language as a colloquialism for something that means legitimate or proper. The original meaning in Jewish is not actually very far from the English equivalents.
Kosher literally means “fit” (as in fit for consumption). Food that conforms to the stipulations of the Jewish Halakha would be considered kosher. The rules form the primary aspects of the Jewish dietary laws known as kashrut. Most specifications of the kashrut are found in the book of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. The kashrut laws have an undefined origin, and many considered that the laws are set for hygienic, practical, and philosophical purposes.
What exactly constitutes kosher food? The kashrut determined three main categories of kosher foods, which are meat, dairy, and neither (or parve, which is Hebrew for neutral). A list of several types of food considered kosher is found in the book of Leviticus. However, kosher is not only linked with the source of the food. Animals considered fit for consumption according to the kashrut will lose their kosher status when any of the following happens:
- inclusion of ingredients derived from foodstuffs that are not considered kosher
- a kosher animal is improperly slaughtered (not according to kashrut)
- mixing of milk and kosher meat in cooking
- the production of wine or grape juice was unsupervised
- the utensils used to cooked kosher food was previously used for non-kosher food
Some of the specifically identified kosher animals, as listed in the book of Leviticus, are as follows:
- animals that both ruminate or chew their cud and have cloven foot (cattle, goat, deer, bison, sheep)
- animals that have fins and scales (albacore, anchovy, char, halibut)
Specific processes are observed for the preparation of kosher food. In winemaking, for example, a Jew who is known to be observant of Sabbath laws should be involved in the process of making the wine from start to finish. All ingredients and additives to aid in producing wine should be deemed kosher.
In order for meat to be considered kosher, the slaughter of animals should also be done in a specific fashion and requires a specific set of implements. An individual trained in the special method of slaughter (shechita) is responsible for the task. In case the slaughter does not measure up to the standards of schechita, it renders the meat of the animal unsuitable or non-kosher.
In conclusion, the kashrut laws are considered by Jews as a way of life and not just special dietary restrictions.