What does koshering mean?

Answer 1

Kosher Definition of kosher: "fit" or "appropriate" to use.

Most think of it as food rules, but it applies to almost anything found in Jewish life.

Non food items that must be kosher for use include:

• Torah scrolls
• tallit
• lulav
• t'fillin
• mezuzah scrolls

KOSHER FOOD RULES

When a food product is considered Kosher, it must be either:

1. An animal deemed kosher in The Bible, prepared according to Jewish law
2. A food product that comes from an animal by-product deemed kosher in the Bible.

It must be prepared as outlined by the Rabbis in the Talmud. This includes slaughtering the animal in a very humane way (with a sharpened blade, at the neck, and instantaneous death so no suffering occurs).

The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America is one organization that have rabbis trained to certify that particular foods have been prepared according to Jewish dietary laws and can be considered kosher. Their copyrighted symbol, a U inside an O can only be placed by them on labels for products that they have certified as kosher. There are a multitude of such organization around the world that each have their own copyrighted symbols (if you only see a K on the label - which cannot be copyrighted as it is a letter of the alphabet - then the company that manufactured the food may not have been checked by a certified organization to determine it kosher status).

Kosher food requires, among other things, the separation of meat and milk and specific procedures for slaughtering and preparing meat.

More input from Wiki s Contributors:

• Kosher means conforming to dietary laws--ritually pure--selling or serving food prepared in accordance with dietary laws....associated with Jewish cooking...
• Kosher is basically a series of rules about what Jews can and can not eat. For example, you have to separate meat (excluding fish) from dairy products. Look at the attached Wikipedia link for more specific information if you want it.

Beyond animals In addition to the restriction on ingredients originating from specific animals (or types of animals) listed in the bible, or the combination of meat and milk (or their derivatives), there is also a restriction of wine/Grape Juice products that don't come from kosher wine/grape juice (what makes wine kosher is a longer discussion).

The prohibitions on all of the above go beyond the "base" food and beyond its derivatives; it even extends to the utensils and machinery used in its preparation. If they were used with non-kosher ingredients, they have to be "kashered", which involves thorough washing, and then cleaning with intense heat like boiling water or fire.

No agricultural products can be deemed non-kosher, so a vegan is essentially keeping kosher. Many regard eateries in India that comply with strict (Buddhist and Jainist) religious vegetarianism to be acceptable for a kosher-eating individual.

Final note: Contrary to a common misconception, kosher food does not have to be "blessed" by a rabbi. The process is purely a supervisory one. Depending on the type of food processing, a supervisor is sometimes there full-time and sometimes comes in to occasionally review the processes and ingredients to assure that they comply with the agreed-upon rules.

Answer 2

Judaism has special rules regarding food and eating utensils. We may only eat certain types of food and many of them have to be prepared in a specific way. This is called kosher food. Meat has to be "koshered" i.e. go through a special process to be kosher. Likewise, our dishes and cutlery are "koshered" through immersion in a special ritual bath before we can use them. If a kitchen or any pots, pans, ovens, dishes, glasses or silverware etc. have been used for non-kosher food, we "kosher" them before we use them for kosher food. The process is different for different types of utensils: Silverware and pots are dipped into boiling water; ovens, stoves and sinks are heated with a blowtorch; glasses are soaked in a bath for 3 days. You can find loads more information here: http://tinyurl.com/5mjw2e

Answer 3

In order to be kosher, food has to be prepared according to the kosher-laws (see Deuteronomy ch.14). These are explained in detail in the Talmud-volume of Chullin.
* Meat must be from those land animals which have split hooves and chew their cud (such as beef, venison and mutton).
Fish have to have scales and fins. Shellfish are not kosher.
Birds cannot be among those listed as forbidden in the Torah (Deuteronomy ch.14) and cannot be hunters/scavengers. In actual practice, today we eat only those species concerning which we have a tradition that they're permitted, such as domestic chicken, geese, pigeons and turkey.

* Animals must be slaughtered in the manner specified by Jewish law and must be free of all disease. In actual practice, those who keep kosher purchase meat which is certified as having been prepared in the kosher manner.
As much blood as possible must be removed from meat before cooking, since consumption of blood is forbidden (Leviticus ch.17). This is done at home or by the kosher butcher, through salting, soaking and rinsing.

* Dairy and meat cannot be combined in the same meal and there's a waiting period between eating one and then the other. After dairy: 1/2 hour. After meat: 6 hours for most Jewish communities.

* Fruits and vegetables should be checked to be sure they're free of bugs. Some Jews avoid cauliflower, asparagus, and the like, because of the difficulty in checking them.

Additionally, food must be prepared and handled following kashrut-laws and with kosher ingredients only. Processed foods should be labeled as having had kosher supervision during their processing. Any food that does not meet these requirements cannot be eaten by those who are religiously observant Jews.

See also the Related Links.

Link: Could you give me a list of kosher and non-kosher types of fish?

Link: Why do some Jews not keep kosher?

Link: The use of rennet

Answer 4

Kosher refers to the Jewish legal concept of determining dietarily permissible foods.

Answer 5

There is no such language as "Jewish". Kosher comes from a Hebrew word that means "fit for use".

Answer 6

Kosher refers to the Jewish legal concept of items and foods that are fit for use. Most people think only of foods, but many things in Judaism can be kosher.