What is Kosher?
A. Kosher is a Hebrew word meaning “fit.” The Torah lays down guidelines for what’s fit, kosher, for a Jew to eat—and what’s not. Here are the general rules: fresh fruits and vegetables are never a problem unless they have bugs (certain vegetables, such as lettuce or broccoli, are commonly infested with insects. These vegetables must be carefully inspected before consumption), or they were grown in Israel (Israeli produce must be tithed. Rabbinical certification is necessary to ensure that the tithing laws were observed). Meat must come from non-predatory, cud-chewing mammals with hooves that are split, AND must be slaughtered and processed in a specific, “kosher” way. Poultry are limited to chickens, ducks and certain other non-predatory birds, which must be prepared in the same manner as kosher beef. Kosher seafood must have fins and scales. Grain, bean, and legume products are cool. Wines, beverages and anything liquid are good as long as they’ve got a kosher symbol on their label.
B. Any product, substance, solid, liquid, derivative, stuff, powder, goo or whatever that comes from an animal that’s not kosher, is not kosher either. Also, it’s not kosher if the animal wasn’t slaughtered in the “kosher” manner. Thus, if any of those are in the ingredients of another product, that product’s not kosher. That’s why…
C. Kosher today means that a Kosher certification company, such as Organized Kashrut Laboratories (“the OK”), has inspected the production process from start to finish. They check every vat, oven, conveyor belt, container and piece of packaging machinery to really make sure that nothing non-kosher gets in your food.
How do I keep kosher?
1. Kosher made simple
For kosher food, just look for the kosher labels on the package: circled K or U, Star-K and others. (A plain K don't mean much.) They tell you that they’re certified kosher.
2. Clean House
Mixing meat and milk products in any way, shape or form is not kosher. (Milk and meat symbolize life and death, respectively; mixing them is a Kabalistic no-no.) And Kosher is more than what you eat—it’s what you eat it on, and how you make it, too. So it's necessary to have separate dishes, cutlery, utensils and gadgets, and ovens, for meat and dairy items. If your utensils are not kosher, call a rabbi and see if they won't come down and kosherize your kitchen. (A smiley Jewish organization called Chabad has been koshering homes just like yours for decades. Contact your http://www.chabadominican.com/Centers/ and tell the rabbi, “I wanna go Kosher!”)
3. “What about my favorite foods?”
Not to worry. You can almost always find kosher—and usually better tasting—substitutes. And most processed foods are kosher today, anyway. As for meat and poultry, more and more supermarkets are tuning in to the trend and supplying kosher provisions. You can usually find kosher stock without much of a search. And with the magic and convenience of the Web, an ever-growing selection of on-line purveyors will internationally deliver kosher whatever, straight to your door at rock-bottom prices, in the event you don’t find what you want in the aisles. You can even get kosher buffalo! I kid you not: http://www.kosherbison.com.
4. Eating Out
Most cities have kosher eateries serving up some of the most fabulous food you’ll ever eat. Visit http://www.kosherdelight.com/DominicanRepublicKosherFood.shtml for a kosher joint near you. (Helps if you don't live in South Dakota.)
5. Eat! Eat! Eat!
Want Beef Stroganoff? How about Beef Sukihaki? Ever tried Bruschetta? Or Pasta Olio Aglio? It’s all kosher, and yours for the taking. There are approximately 17 gadzillion kosher cookbooks available, and more coming out daily. Start with the Spice and Spirit Kosher Cookbook, the mother of all kosher tomes, available from Amazon or your local Chabad center. Above all, if you’ve got any questions about kosher matters, get answers: call your local Chabad rabbi posthaste.
- www.askmoses.com
