The word "kosher" relates to the "kashrut," the body of kosher dietary laws whose name means "fit" or "proper" in Hebrew. Kashrut law maintains that observant Jews should not eat certain foods and that other foods must not be eaten together. Observant Jews also observe special kosher dietary laws during the Passover holiday. "Treif" food is any food that is not kosher. All kosher dietary rules come from the Torah.
Restricted Animals
Kosher dietary rules restrict the consumption of certain animals. You may not keep kosher and eat any part of those animals, including eggs, milk and flesh. Of land animals, the Torah determines that camel, rock badger, rabbit and pig are not kosher. The Torah also restricts the eating of marine life to those animals with scales and fins. Therefore, shellfish, including such creatures as shrimp and lobster, are not kosher. Insects, reptiles, rodents and amphibians are also not kosher.
Slaughter of Animals
Kosher butchers must slaughter even those allowable animals, like cows and goats, in accordance with kashrut law. You cannot follow a kosher diet and eat animals that died in nature. Diseased animals are likewise forbidden, although this applies principally to herd animals and not to fish.
Kosher butchery involves a specific method of ritual slaughter, called "shechitah," which consists of a quick blade stroke across the throat. The man who performs the slaughter, the "shochet," must have training in Jewish law. After the slaughter, the blood of the animal must drain, as kashrut law prohibits eating the blood of any animal. The food preparation process removes the remainder of the animal's blood during boiling.
Forbidden Parts of Animals
In a kosher diet, you cannot eat the sciatic nerve or adjoining blood vessels. Most kosher butchers do not sell this part of the animal to their customers, so this is rarely an issue. The fat that surrounds certain organs, including the liver, is also forbidden under kosher rules, and butchers remove this fat before selling their product.
Meat and Dairy
Kosher diet rules prohibit the cooking and eating of meat and dairy products together. This applies to both red meat and to poultry, although fish and dairy are allowed. In addition to not eating meat and dairy together, you may not cook these products together, and you must never serve them with the same utensils. After eating either meat or dairy, you need to wait a certain amount of time before eating the other product. Meat after dairy is possible if you rinse your mouth and eat a food like bread. For dairy after meat, on the other hand, differing kosher rules say that you may need to wait three to six hours.
Utensils
You must use separate utensils and cleaning products for meats and for dairy under kashrut law. These utensils include plates, pots, pans, silverware, dishwashers, sponges and dish towels. For most observant Jews, this means having two sets of all utensils. Those items that you can launder, like dish towels, become kosher again after cleaning.
Grape Products
Kosher wine and grape juice are only those that were made by Jews. Kosher wines are often quite similar to other wines in terms of taste and content, with only their production differing.
Member Comments