What is Kashrut?

Kashrut are the Jewish dietary laws. There are many kosher laws. Here are a few highlights:

• mammals must have a split hoof and chew their cud
• birds must not be a scavenger or predator, and must have a societal tradition as a food animal
• fish must have fins and scales
• meat and dairy cannot be cooked or eaten together
• fish and vegetables cannot be cooked together but can be eaten together
• blood may not be eaten and must be removed from mammals and birds
• no reptiles or amphibians
• no insects (there are 50 kosher insects, but the names of the species are lost)

Answer

Jewish people eat the following foods mentioned in the Bible:
1. Fowl/poultry: eat only those known by tradition not to be in the list of forbidden fowl in the Bible e.g. chicken, turkey, duck, goose.
2. Meat: only from animals that chew the cud and have a fully cloven hoof e.g. cow, goat, sheep and not pig, rabbit, camel, horse etc.
3. Milk and eggs: only those from kosher animals/ fowl (as mentioned in 1 and 2).
4. Fish: only those with fins and scales (eg no shellfish)
5. Meat and milk: it is forbidden to eat meat and milk together, even two separate foods at the same meal.
6. Meat and poultry must be slaughtered according to Jewish law, by a religious Jew, and ritually cleansed of blood.

Answer

There are rabbinic laws governing the production and consumption of all foods such as milk, bread, wine, cheese and other cooked and raw foods that they must be prepared/cooked or have their preparation/cooking supervised by a religious Jew.

Most prepared foods must carry certification that their production is supervised, so as to ensure that they comply with these rules.
According to Jewish law, Jews are supposed to keep the commandments of kashrut, or what most people know as 'kosher'.

Kosher refers to food prepared according to halacha (Jewish law).
Read Leviticus 11.