Kosher eating is a widely known Jewish practice, but not everybody understands what it is or why it is observed. According to dietary laws of kashrut, only certain foods meet high enough standards for consumption. These laws are embedded in Jewish history, and they are deeply meaningful to the people who continue to adhere to them.
Terminology
"Kashrut," a word derived from a Hebrew root that means "proper" or "correct," is the set of Jewish laws that dictate what foods are to be eaten and avoided. The laws originate in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy in the Bible. They also dictate how people should and shouldn't prepare and consume their food. The word "kosher" describes the food that meets kashrut standards, while the word "treif" applies to non-kosher foods.
Permitted Foods
The only meat that is considered kosher is ritually slaughtered sheep, cows, goats and deer that are without flaw or disease. Permitted fowl include turkey, chicken, goose and quail. Salmon, carp, cod, herring and tuna are acceptable fish choices. Only kosher hard cheese and soft cheese are allowed. While most fruits, grains and vegetables can be eaten, some grape products are limited. Only grape juice and wine made under Jewish supervision are allowed.
Forbidden Foods
Forbidden meats include meat from an animal that died of natural causes as well as any pork, rabbit, reptile and camel. All meat must be eaten separately from any dairy, ruling out foods such as cheeseburgers. Most hard cheese is not permitted. Forbidden fowl include hawk, vulture and eagle. Moreover, only seafood that has scales and fins are allowed, disallowing crab, octopus, clams, swordfish and sturgeon. Wine and grape juice that are not produced under Jewish supervision are prohibited.
Labeling
Product ingredient labels will say if a food is kosher using appropriate symbols. The letter "K" in a circle means kosher, the letter "U" inside a circle is certified by the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations, the letter "P" inside a circle marks a food that is acceptable to be eaten for Passover, the letter "M" indicates a meat product and the letter "D" indicates a dairy product. Many conservative Jews find the practice of reading labels to be acceptable, but Orthodox Jews are more likely to find a trained rabbi to ensure that the food they eat is kosher.
Significance
Jewish dietary laws offer some health benefits, as some forbidden foods have been known to carry disease. The laws also help keep Jewish people feeling separate from the masses but unified in their own culture. Laws of kashrut help observers practice self-control and may make them feel a closer connection to God after they exercise faith in restricting what they eat.
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