The laws of keeping kosher, "kashrut" in Hebrew, are a specific and detailed set of dietary restrictions for Jews. The word kashrut means "fit" or "proper," according to Judaism 101. A strictly kosher restaurant or home must follow very stringent religious laws regarding food, preparation and combination. Judaism 101 quips, "Keeping kosher is not particularly difficult in and of itself; what makes it difficult to keep kosher is the fact that the rest of the world does not do so." For observant Jews, a daily diet is a kosher diet.
History
A common misconception exists that kosher laws are actually outdated food safety guidelines. Judaism 101 does note that "the laws regarding kosher slaughter are so sanitary that kosher butchers and slaughterhouses have been exempted from many USDA regulations." However, kosher experts agree that health and sanitation reasons are not the reason Jews keep kosher. The primary reason given is that the Torah, the Jewish holy text, commands it. Though the Torah does not explain why, this is true for many other Torah commandments. Other theories include the elevating of an everyday act to holiness, the encouragement it provides to live in a community of fellow Jews, and the mindfulness and awareness the practice demands.
Forbidden Foods
The laws of kashrut forbid Jews to eat many things. Animals that have cloven hooves and chew their cud are kosher. This includes cattle, sheep, bison, deer and goats. Forbidden foods are called "treif," meaning "torn," in reference to the prohibition from eating any animals torn by other animals. Treif foods include pig, rabbit, camel and boar. Kashrut laws prohibit eating certain birds, primarily scavengers, while chicken, geese, ducks and most likely turkeys are allowed. Animals that died of natural causes or were killed by other animals are also forbidden. Kosher law prohibits eating most insects, which necessitates careful washing of fruits and vegetables. Fish and other sea creatures that do not have both fins and scales are forbidden. Food products made from any of these treif foods are also prohibited.
Kosher Meat
In addition to being kosher animals, kosher meat must be slaughtered according to the laws of kashrut. The Jewish Virtual Library explains that specially trained and strictly observant kosher butchers slaughter animals in a manner that causes the least amount of suffering, killing the animal within two seconds. Kosher laws dictate that blood and certain nerves, blood vessels and fats of the animal may not be consumed; thus, kosher butchers remove these specific parts and drain the animal of all blood.
Separation
The Jewish Virtual Library explains that the Torah's commandment not to "cook a kid in its mother's milk" is the origin of the kosher law requiring the separation of meat and dairy. Rabbis have since proscribed very explicit rules about this separation. A kosher household or restaurant has a separate set of utensils, dishes and cookware and even a separate dishwasher and preparation area for dairy and for meat. The Jewish Virtual Library clarifies that even a tiny amount of dairy in a product renders the whole product dairy; likewise for meat products.
Considerations
Kosher processed foods are marked with special symbols indicating that they are kosher, and whether they are kosher meat or kosher dairy, or neutral.The Jewish Virtual Library states that all of these symbols come from reputable regulating agencies save for the unadorned letter K, which actually holds no real meaning and is often used inaccurately.
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