The term “kosher”, a common word within the sphere of Jewish life, has been heard for a long time in many areas, many of which will have observed with curiosity that in different businesses, publications, even in the gondolas of the most well-known chains of hypermarkets, there are posters with that word, there are kosher foods, kosher restaurants, kosher meats, kosher caterings, kosher certificates.
There is a majority group of people who consume kosher products for religious reasons but there is also another non-religious group, quite heterogeneous that is growing rapidly in terms of demand for these products. This group is mainly made up of vegetarians, people attracted by the hygiene and quality of products, Muslims who find it as an alternative when they do not have “halal” products, which find in the kosher certification a quality differentiator. This is a great opportunity for anyone to capture the segment of “Middle Eastern people”. If you intend to open a kosher restaurant then you can carry out specific promotions, such as by distributing brochures to certain communities. You can easily search for a cheap brochures service online.
But what does this term mean? This word is already used in English, although it has its origin in Hebrew. “Kasher” or “kosher” means “fit” or “complete” and is used to designate both places and foods. Since this term is mainly seen in the food industry, it has become over time the expression that designates a certain type of food, those that are apt to be consumed by Jews who comply with the dietary laws established in the Torah; the code of laws of the Jewish religion. Foods that comply with the precepts of cashrut are considered kosher, and those who do not follow the precepts of the religion are called trefá or taref.
What kinds of foods are considered kosher?
It is a simple question with a complicated answer. Although broadly speaking we can answer it because although there are three basic rules that arise from the original interpretation, the details for compliance with this type of diet became more complex over two thousand years of rabbinic comments that were adapted to the eras and countries, adjusting regulations to advances and changes in the food industry.
Unless a person is an expert in food production, the average consumer can’t make an assessment of the kosher status, so those who follow these dietary guidelines only consume products that have the endorsement of a kosher agency or rabbinical supervision of their trust.
It also has a list of processed foods such as cookies, candies and drinks that do not have a kosher label but can be consumed. These lists vary according to the production lots that could be supervised.
Fruits and vegetables
All can be consumed and purchased in any grocery store. Before consuming, they should be checked and washed thoroughly, in search of insects so as not to ingest them by mistake. Insects of all kinds are prohibited. That’s why greens are cleaned leaf by leaf and checked against the light.
Legumes and cereals
All are allowed and must be checked by hand before cooking to detect the presence of insects. That is why the flours before cooking are passed through a fine sieve.
If they come from kosher birds (poultry) they can all be eaten. Before using them, they should be split in an individual bowl to observe if they are in good condition. If you have a blood stain it is not considered suitable and should be discarded.
Meat, poultry, and fish
From the slaughter of the animals, the meats of cattle and the poultry are supervised until they reach the consumer. Only some animals are suitable for consumption:
The kosher mammals are ruminants and have broken hooves. Although different species, such as antelope, bison, cow, deer, gazelle, giraffe, goat, and sheep, enter this group, only the species of hatchery are those that are consumed: cow, goat and lamb. While these animals are allowed for consumption, they still have to fulfill another requirement: they must be slaughtered with a specific procedure supervised by rabbinic authorities called “shechita”. The pig, camel, horse and rabbit can’t be kosher.