What Is Kosher Food

Kosher

Is kosher food blessed by a Rabbi? What a myth. Before I explain what is kosher food, let me translate the word kosher. Kosher is a Hebrew word that translates in English to fit, right or legal. If you want to know what is kosher food, the answer is simple. Food that is permissible for a Jew to eat according to Jewish law.

Hashem (God) has forbidden in the Torah (Bible) many types of food. But the kosher food list is still very very big, don't worry. And they're delicious and unique too. As a quick guide, Jews are forbidden from eating fish that don't have fins or scales, meat (and milk) from animals that don't chew their cud and have split hooves, and birds of prey. In Judaism, keeping kosher food laws also prohibits eating blood of an animal, and any animal that wasn't slaughtered according to Jewish law.

Any food that has in its ingredients one of the above is considered not kosher. I believe as you read till here you got the basic idea of what is kosher food. It is therefore that Orthodox Jews have their own kosher restaurants, kosher groceries, kosher butcher for kosher meats and kosher fish stores. They will have a certification of an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi or kashrut (kosher in plural) organization that all ingredients abide with kosher food laws.

Kosher dietary laws are observed all year round, not just during Passover. There are additional restrictions during Passover, and many foods that are kosher for year-round use are not "kosher for Passover." Bread and cakes can be kosher for all year round use but is not kosher for Passover! Yet foods that are kosher for Passover, however, are always kosher for year-round use.

Kosher symbols

There are many kosher symbols on food packages that symbolize its rabbinical supervision. For a list of symbols you can find on food packaging click here.

On many kosher restaurants and kosher beef stores you will find the symbol on the sign of the store. If the store only has a sign stating kosher, you will most probably find a letter of certification hanging in the store.

Go out and taste the rich kosher food menu!

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