Many nations have traditions and prohibitions associated with limiting the consumption of certain foods. In Russian cuisine, there are no prohibitions as such: we simply do not eat what we are not used to, or what seems unacceptable to us, and therefore there is no need for official prohibitions.

But everyone in Russia has probably heard about the prohibitions that exist for Muslims and Jews. Most often it is mentioned that Muslims should not eat pork, but with Jewish cuisine it is more complicated: there are more prohibitions, and many of them may seem strange and incomprehensible to us.

Food allowed for consumption in Israel is called kosher, and Jews living in other countries and strictly observing the “faith of their fathers” include only kosher products in their diet. The origin of the word “kosher” goes back to the concept of “kashrut,” which in Judaism denotes compliance with Halakha, traditional Jewish law based on many religious commandments. That's how difficult it is; however, the requirements imposed by Jewish law on products are quite close to the concepts of healthy and separate meals. For example, Jews are strictly forbidden to mix meat and dairy products, and this is correct, since they are completely incompatible with each other.

Perhaps for this reason, not only Jews are interested in kosher products in Russia, and many people want to know more about it.

Kosher - not kosher

Kosher meat products come from the meat of herbivores that live on land. These are ruminant ungulates, but their hooves are cloven: sheep, goats and large cattle; It is also allowed to eat elk and giraffe meat. Pork, rabbit and camel meat are prohibited. Eating blood in any form is prohibited, so the meat of kosher animals is always soaked and washed in special ways. Animals must also be slaughtered according to the rules: this is done by kosher butchers who have undergone special training.

The following kosher dish combines two Jewish recipe. To deliciously bake chicken in charoset, you must first prepare the charoset itself - a truly Jewish dish, made from fruits, nuts, pomegranate juice (wine) and spices. Need to take 1-2

Every devout Jew must know and unquestioningly observe the laws of kashrut. These rules apply to many areas of activity, but primarily they apply to food products. Food that is considered kosher is primarily good for the body. It must be natural and meet strict criteria. Production facilities and restaurants that offer kosher products to customers in Russia must have the appropriate certificate.

What is kashrut

Kashrut is translated from Hebrew as “fit.” This is a set of regulations for what is permitted and prohibited, relating not only to food, but also to other aspects. The laws of kashrut are aimed at instilling self-discipline and the ability to self-restraint, as well as spiritual cohesion among believers of Jewish origin. They are governed by the Jewish holy book The Torah, which prohibits cruelty, violence, and bloodshed. The rabbinate carefully monitors compliance with the rules.

With the help of the laws of kashrut, eating is elevated from the animal to the conscious level. What is he like? This is, first of all, healthy, wholesome, environmentally friendly food. According to it, it has a positive effect on both the physical and spiritual health of a person. There are special lists of permitted food products and their manufacturers. If you want to purchase drinks, pay attention to the special sign or check with the seller for the availability of the appropriate certificate.

The Rabbinate divides all kosher into three main groups:

• basar - meat products;
• freebies - dairy products;
• parve - neutral food (fish, vegetables, etc.).

Animal products - meat, milk, eggs

What does kosher animal product mean? This is considered to be the meat of animals that are ruminants, artiodactyls, and herbivores at the same time. For example, sheep, cows, goats, moose, etc. It is strictly forbidden to eat hare, hyrax and pig. Among birds, predators are considered non-kosher. These are an owl, a pelican, an eagle, an ostrich, and a heron. You can cook food only from poultry - chickens, geese, ducks, turkeys, quails, pigeons.

In order for the product to be suitable for consumption, the animal must be killed according to special kashrut laws. Since the Torah does not allow the consumption of blood, there are regulations regarding how to process the meat. In addition, the carcass must be checked for the absence of any diseases.

In addition to meat, there are other animal products. For example, eggs. They belong to the category of parve. Eggs suitable for consumption must be laid only by kosher birds. One end of their shell should be rounded, and the other should be sharper. If suddenly there is a blood clot inside the egg, you should not eat it.

Milk from kosher animals can be eaten. However, there is one limitation. Kosher laws prohibit the consumption of meat and dairy products together. The break between dishes should be at least 30 minutes - depends on the community. Milk can be combined with products of other categories - vegetables, fruits, fish, etc.

Fish and seafood

Kosher fish product, what is it? According to kashrut, non-predatory fish that have fins and easily removable scales are considered permitted. According to these criteria, eel, sturgeon, shark, and catfish are not kosher. Red salmon caviar can be eaten, but black sturgeon caviar cannot. Various seafood - octopus, crabs, oysters, lobsters, shrimp - do not have scales or fins, and are therefore prohibited as food.

Although fish belongs to the neutral category of foods, it should not be mixed with meat when preparing dishes or during the same meal. Dairy and fish can be eaten at the same meal, but always from different dishes.

Insects

The Torah prohibits eating insects, amphibians, and reptiles. It is allowed to cook dishes only from certain types of locusts. You should be careful with vegetables and fruits, because they may contain worms or their larvae. Flour and cereals must be sorted and re-sowed so that insects do not get into the food, which can live in the bag and spoil kosher products. The list of prohibited foods does not include honey produced by insects (bees). It can be eaten because, according to the Jews, it is a processed flower juice. Accordingly, it is a product of plant origin. In addition, honey is extremely healthy, which does not contradict the laws of kashrut at all.

Vegetables and fruits

Vegetables, fruits and greens are classified as parve. What does kosher plant-based product mean? Undoubtedly, it must be grown in Israel. If the product comes from another country, but is in its natural form, it can also be eaten. Unprocessed fruits and vegetables do not require a certificate. They can be mixed with meat and milk.

Products of plant origin should not be wormy or come into contact with non-kosher food. In such cases, they become unsuitable for nutrition.

Drinks

Among drinks considered kosher, those made from grapes are considered. The process of producing the right product is extremely complex. It must comply with certain laws of kashrut. What does kosher mean when it comes to wine? The basic rule is that it should only be made by a Jew. If a person of a different nationality or religion touches the drink, it will lose kosher.

The grapes for proper wine must be harvested only in a certain period and in a special place. The vineyard must be more than four years old and need to rest once every seven years. Before starting wine production, a mandatory ritual must be performed. All equipment at the plant is constantly sterilized. No strangers should come here. Production is closed on Saturday.

Due to the difficulties that arise in observing all the laws of kashrut, many winemakers prefer to make a regular drink. For the same reason, a real kosher product (read what it is - read above) is very expensive, its price is much higher than good Italian or French wines.

Bread

Bread belongs to the category of parve. According to the laws of kashrut, a kosher flour product (what is permitted food is written above in the article) is one that is baked by a devout Jew. The person overseeing the process must separate a small piece of dough from each loaf and burn it. If we are talking about large production, then Jews should at least control the baking of bread and turn on the ovens. Do not forget that all ingredients used in preparing the dough must be kosher.

Kashrut is a system of ritual rules that determine whether something meets the requirements of Halakha, Jewish Law. The laws of kashrut are based on the commandments of the Torah, as well as additional rules established by Jewish religious authorities, mainly in the Mishnah and Gemara, together forming the Talmud (Oral Torah).

Usually the term " kashrut"is used in relation to a set of religious regulations related to food, but it is also used in other aspects of traditional life - from legal (for example, the competence of witnesses) to everyday (choice of fabric) and ritual (tefillin, tzitzit).

Kashrut food

Kosher laws vary slightly among different Jewish communities. The greatest differences exist in the observance of Easter prohibitions. The rules of kashrut vary among different trends within Judaism, for example, for especially believers there are especially strict rules, the so-called glat kosher(Yiddish גלאַט כּשר - “simply/strictly kosher”).

Kosher meat

Animals that live on land

Only meat from animals that are simultaneously ruminants (strictly herbivorous) and artiodactyls (having cloven hooves). These are herbivores such as cows, sheep and goats, as well as: moose, gazelles, mountain goats, giraffes, etc.

The Torah lists four types of animals that have only one of the two characteristics of kosher. These are pig, camel, hyrax and hare. These animals are prohibited for food. Thus, pork is not kosher because the pig does not chew the cud, not because the pig is dirtier than other animals.

Birds

The Torah does not specify any characteristics for kosher birds. She simply rattles off a list of club birds. Among them are such as eagle, owl, pelican. Since today it is not possible to accurately identify all the bird birds listed in the Torah, only poultry that is traditionally kosher is eaten. These are chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys and pigeons.

Bird eggs must have different ends: one is sharper, the other is more rounded. The eggs of those species of birds that have the same ends: either both sharp or both blunt, cannot be eaten (usually such birds are predatory or scavengers). Since blood is strictly prohibited for consumption, eggs that contain a blood clot are non-kosher.

Biblical animals whose names are unknown

The meaning of the names of some animals mentioned in the Pentateuch in connection with kashrut has not been precisely established by researchers. Among them: " anaka» , « letaa» , « homet», « tinshemet» , « hargol» , « hagav» , « solam».

Slaughter of livestock and poultry ( shechita) and koshering of meat

The laws of kashrut also apply to the process of slaughtering an animal. For meat to be completely kosher, it must meet several requirements:

There are also special laws for the ritual preparation of a knife with which an animal will be slaughtered - how to sharpen the knife, check that there is not the slightest chip on it, etc.; laws on where and how to cut (only with one movement and only the throat in the area of ​​the carotid artery). Meat from properly slaughtered animals whose health has been irreparably damaged is not kosher.

The Torah prohibits eating blood. That's why the meat is soaked in water room temperature, and then placed on a special pickling board and sprinkled with coarse salt. Salt absorbs blood. After this, the meat is thoroughly washed.

Sho(y)het usually studies in yeshiva for many years to get general knowledge Jewish laws. Then he undergoes a special course for carvers, lasting about a year and ending with an exam. Only after this does he receive the right to do shechita. The laws on shechita and testing an animal carcass for kosher are very numerous and complex, so only a person who has thoroughly studied them and received the appropriate diploma has the right to practice this craft.

A specialist who inspects the carcass of an animal intended for food is called mashgiach(Hebrew: משגיח‎, overseer). The mashgiach examines the carcass to determine whether there are signs of disease that would qualify the meat as treph. There are other professions related to kashrut, for example menaker(Hebrew מנקר‎) - a person who cleanses back carcasses from veins prohibited for consumption.

Kosher fish

"Fish" in in this case is an expanded concept that includes not only fish themselves, but also other animals living in the water. Fish, according to the laws of kashrut, is not meat, and therefore the rules regarding meat products do not apply to it. Fish is “parve” (from Yiddish פּאַרעװע, “neither milk nor meat,” “neutral”), that is, it can be eaten with both meat and dairy products. However, there is a tradition not to eat fish with meat.

Kosher fish, according to the definition of kashrut, have two mandatory characteristics: they have scales and fins. Kosher scales are not permanently attached to the body of the fish and can be easily separated if you run your fingernail over the fish. In case there is doubt about the presence of fins or scales in a fish, there are auxiliary signs: a kosher fish has gills, a backbone, and must spawn.

Honey production begins the moment a worker bee leaves the hive to collect nectar or pollen. The bee collects nectar in a bag located on its body and brings it to the hive. In the hive, nectar is passed from one bee to another, chewed and spat out several times. This creates a thick syrup that contains more protein and very little moisture. The worker bee pours the syrup into the cell of the honeycomb and then blows it with her wings. This makes the syrup even thicker. This is how honey is made.

Thus, despite the fact that from a strictly scientific point of view, nectar undergoes enzymatic biotransformation by secretions secreted in the crop of the honey bee, from the point of view of kashrut, honey is flower juice processed by the bee and is therefore considered a product of plant rather than animal origin.

Kosher drinks

Some varieties of vodka are trephine because they contain dairy additives (for example, Posolskaya vodka).

Easter kashrut

For products in factory packaging, in addition to the kashrut stamp, there must be a special stamp “ Kasher LePesach"("Kosher for Passover").

Chametz

On Pesach you cannot not only use, but also possess leaven (chametz).

Examples of kvass:

• Any grains such as wheat, barley, rye, oats, or spelt that have come into contact with water or other liquids should be considered chametz because they may begin to ferment.
  • Flour products: flour noodles, vermicelli, oatmeal, bread, cake, cookies, pastries, matzo and matzo dishes not prepared specifically for Passover.
  • Cereal products: corn flakes, puffed wheat grains, crushed wheat, etc.
• Malt Products: All malt and yeast products, vegetable extracts, mustard and other seasonings.
• Beverages: beer, whiskey and other alcoholic beverages, malt vinegar and pickled products containing malt vinegar, fruit essences, glucose.

The rules regarding leaven may vary among different Jewish communities. Thus, Ashkenazim prohibit the food and consumption of the so-called. kitniyot: products containing legumes, rice, and similar products such as peanuts, etc. There are different customs regarding different vegetable oils, such as soybean oil and corn oil.

Opinions on the meaning of kashrut

The benefits of kosher food

According to this opinion, the Creator, who created the world, gave humanity a Law in accordance with which to live. He knows better than anyone what is good and beneficial for a person’s spiritual well-being. Just as if a doctor gives a patient certain medicines or prescribes a diet, the patient will follow the doctor's instructions without even understanding their meaning. The patient understands that the doctor knows best what kind of treatment is needed, and takes the prescribed medications, even if he has no idea how exactly they work.

Striving for Holiness

According to this view, the purpose of the laws of kashrut is to instill qualities such as self-discipline and self-restraint, and to elevate the act of eating from an animal level to a highly organized and conscious one.

Thus, the laws of kashrut are part of the system of commandments of the Torah, by following which a person learns to control his desires and passions and, thereby, grows spiritually.

Preservation of national self-identification

Many kashrut laws are intended to limit contact with non-Jews. For example, many types of food are considered treasury only because they were prepared by non-Jews. Grape wine prepared by non-Jews is also prohibited.

These “inconvenient” laws serve as a barrier, a barrier to contacts that could ultimately lead to marriage with a non-Jew, which is a serious violation of the Torah. Kashrut also brings Jews together wherever they are. When a kosher-observant Jew travels to another city or country, he will look for a rabbi and a community where he can get kosher food. And in the synagogue, the Jew meets even more new friends who share his views and moral values. Thus, a Jew who observes the laws of kashrut will never find himself alone in any city in the world where Jews live.

When someone at a non-kosher restaurant orders beef steak instead of pork chops in an attempt to keep kosher, I no longer laugh at them. This person's choice may indicate an attempt to give up non-kosher pork... If he refuses butter and does not dilute his coffee with milk after meat, I respect this man even more, because he obviously remembers the commandment of Kashrut “DO NOT BOIL A CALF IN THE MOTHER’S MILK”... And if he generally prefers fish to meat, I see in him a man who is seriously trying to live according to God's commandments

R. Zalman Schachter, “The State of the Jewish Faith”

Moral values

According to this approach, the purpose of kashrut laws is to

1. reduce to a minimum the number of animals that can be killed;
2. kill animals in the most painless way;
3. to cultivate an aversion to shedding blood.

Cruelty to animals is expressly prohibited by the Torah. Hunting and killing animals for entertainment is prohibited. Animals can only be killed for food, medical research, etc. Shekhita(slaughter of livestock according to the Torah) is one of the most humane methods of killing an animal. According to kashrut laws, any injured animal is no longer kosher. Therefore, animals should be killed quickly - with one blow, in order to reduce pain to a minimum. The tools used by the carver (knife, ax) must be sharp. The animal loses consciousness in a split second.

The Torah also prohibits eating blood. This explains the special laws of slaughtering livestock, soaking and salting meat, ensuring the removal of blood. Thus the Torah teaches not to be cruel.

It is surprising that none of the Israelis’ neighbors shares their absolute ban on drinking blood. Blood is looked at as a food product... Blood is a symbol of life. According to the laws of Judaism, a person has the right to maintain his life by eating only a minimal amount of living matter... A person does not have the right to encroach on “life” itself. Therefore, blood - life - must be symbolically "returned to God" - the meat must be bled before cooking.

Jacob Milgrom, professor at the University of Berkeley

Objectivity and brands of kashrut

The product packaging may have several seals from authorities that verify kosher. This is done to cater to all market segments.

From all of the above, it follows that kashrut is a hermeneutic set of subjective judgments, and it cannot be confirmed by objective laboratory research. Therefore, many religious people do not rely on kashrut licenses from government agencies such as the Chief Rabbinate in Israel or the New York State Board of Kosher, or large organizations such as the Orthodox Union, but prefer licensing from a rabbi they know or is revered in their community.

Since the 1950s, there has been a generally accepted international trademark for kosher food products - the letter "TO" in a circle - confirming the kosher nature of the product. The packaging may have several seals and branding marks. This means that manufacturers took care to obtain a kashrut license from various authorities in order to satisfy all possible market segments. In Israel, in 1977, all major supermarket chains removed non-kosher products from their shelves. In the Israel Defense Forces, only kosher food is required.

Kosher Market

Nowadays, the kosher food market has become a huge business. In the USA alone, the annual market turnover is, according to various estimates, from 50 to 150 billion dollars. According to Food Industry News magazine, the market for kosher products is actively expanding, winning large segments of non-Jewish consumers.

According to Kosher Today magazine, among the 11 million Americans who choose kosher foods, only one million are Jewish. Kosher products are consumed not only by devout Jews, but also by other categories of consumers.

For several months now, The Village, in addition to regular columns and materials on hot topics, has been publishing packs of feature articles. Week, week "", week and even "". At the same time, I want to introduce regular thematic weeks in the “” section. It so happened - and there is no particular reason, everything just happened - that the first will be “Kosher Moscow”. I'm starting with a short column about why eating kosher foods or in kosher restaurants can be interesting for anyone, not just those who adhere to the diet due to religious beliefs.

Kosher is a sign of food quality, but not a type of cuisine

It is important to understand that kosher food is not a type national cuisine. Kosher food is any food prepared according to strict Jewish laws. Thus, dishes from Italian, Georgian, and Thai cuisine can be kosher. They simply will not contain pork, sea reptiles, some types of fish, birds and even vegetables, they will not contain both meat and animal milk, the quality of all products will be certified by mashgiach, and many other small but important details.

This point does not answer the question of why eating kosher is cool, it is for general development. Therefore, just in case, I will tell you that the word “mashgiach” comes from the Hebrew “ashgah” - “supervision, observation.” Mashgiach monitors kosher in the restaurant kitchen: checks food and utensils, turns the stove on and off. He must be a Jew who has undergone special training. Every kosher restaurant must have a mashgiach, only he has the right to light the fire. There are not many Mashgiakhs in Moscow, and they often work in several places at once.

A kosher product is obviously of higher quality.

Due to the fact that increased attention is paid to the production of kosher products and the selection of raw materials for them, they are always of extra quality. No discounts apply here human factor, inattention or speed of workers. The rules of kashrut are a tradition, something that constitutes a system of survival. While most non-kosher manufacturers today are chasing profit, turning a blind eye to quality, there simply cannot be any relaxation here. The rules do not change, do not adapt to the situation and do not bend to the requirements of the market and the economy.

Vegetables, according to the rules of kashrut, must be checked very carefully and washed thoroughly, since they may contain larvae and adult insects. The mashgiach checks each vegetable for the presence of mold, rot and insect larvae, and its tasks also include sifting flour and sorting grain. The laws of kashrut know no compromises, the slightest discrepancy - and the product is no longer considered kosher. During testing, 40 or even 100 percent of animals can be rejected. At the same time, rejected meat and animals can fully comply with GOST, TO and other generally accepted standards.

It is important to say separately about slaughter. If there is no doubt that this meat is of high quality, then the opinion “kosher method of slaughtering animals is more humane than industrial” raises big questions all over the world. Kosher slaughter is performed by using a smooth movement of a very sharp knife to simultaneously cut most of the trachea and most of the esophagus. The fact is that a qualified carver can do this very quickly and so that the animal does not have time to react and feel pain. But firstly, not everyone has the same qualifications, and secondly, sometimes the process fails. The animal moves its head at the wrong time, the cutter drops the knife - whatever, then it is not possible to kill with one movement, and the animal has to be slaughtered longer and more painfully. Such an animal is married off and, as a rule, is sold to a non-kosher store. Moreover, according to kashrut it is forbidden to stun an animal. This is where animal rights activists come into the picture. Modern non-kosher technology of stunning with a pneumatic pistol in industrial conditions is, without a doubt, more humane in the eyes of ordinary people and official bodies. As a result, in some countries kosher slaughter is now prohibited, and halal slaughter, by the way, too. Animal rights, they say, are more important than religion. But this is a question of ethics, not a question of meat quality.

Kosher meals are prepared for their own people. That is, they don’t regret anything

Kosher food in Moscow is produced by Jews. That is, for themselves. Think for a moment about how strong the Jewish community is in Moscow, New York or Paris - it doesn’t matter where. Kosher food and products are always prepared well.

A case in point in Moscow is the choice of challah. Challah is a rich holiday Jewish bread, similar to brioche, most often braided. Challah is tasty not only for Jews, it is not for nothing that this bread was extremely popular in the USSR, there was a separate GOST for it, and margarine was used in the recipe. More often, however, at that time he was bashfully called “braid.” So, as a big fan of challah, I always buy it when I see it in a store or bakery. And there is nothing tastier in the city than the kosher one produced by Pinhas, which is sold in small quantities on Fridays and Saturdays in a kosher supermarket. Only here they do not spare one hundred percent on products and follow all the technology. The bread turns out soft, fluffy and very rich. Just the other day I threw challah from “Daily Bread” into the trash (I was assured at the bakery that it was the freshest), and before that - from “Bulka”. They say there is hope for a grocery store in GUM, I’ll go there one of these days and I’ll write a full review by Friday.

Convenient for people with lactose intolerance

On restaurant menus, next to the names of dishes, their detailed composition is never written down; waiters also do not always know it. The process of clarification takes time, which sometimes simply may not exist, and an error at any stage costs even more. In this sense, a kosher meat restaurant is a paradise for a person with lactose intolerance. In the same kitchen, according to the laws of kashrut, you cannot cook with milk and meat. Therefore, kosher restaurants are divided strictly into dairy and meat. So, when it comes to meat, you can be one hundred percent sure: there will be nothing dairy in any dish.

Convenient for those who eat halal

Kashrut is often compared to halal (rules in Islam). Muslims, like Jews, do not eat pork and have similar slaughter rules. Everything kosher is halal, but not vice versa.

It's cheaper to eat at synagogues

Running a secular kosher restaurant is very expensive. It’s no wonder that, having opened almost simultaneously several years ago, kosher Noodles and Ginza’s Zucker quickly closed. But restaurants at synagogues most often have subsidies, because they are for their own people. This allows us to reduce costs. And the serving sizes in cafes at synagogues and Jewish centers are comparable only to Chinese and Korean restaurants. So the benefit is obvious.

Can you eat on a plane?

Who hasn’t ordered kosher food on a plane at least once in their life? Especially if we are talking about Russian airlines, where the regular menu is not an object of desire, perhaps, for anyone.

If you ordered kosher food when purchasing your ticket, you are guaranteed to receive food at least a little more interesting than the famous “Chicken-o-Fish”: hummus, fruit jelly, vegetable stew“like grandma’s” and a mini challah. Another important point is that flight attendants always bring special lunch boxes with kosher food before food for other passengers.

Photos: Elena Tsibizova

Religious rules for eating food were not taken out of thin air and are mostly ancient simplified ones sanitary standards and rules of healthy lifestyle (at the then existing level of knowledge). However, these laws often become outdated under the onslaught of scientific knowledge. For example, we have all heard about “kosher” food, let’s figure out what “kosher” (and non-kosher) food is.

“Kosher” is any food (even from Chinese cuisine or Russian folk food), but that complies with the strict laws of “Kashrut” (the permissibility of something in terms of the laws contained in the Torah, Talmud, etc.)

The word “kosher” itself means “permissible”, the word “kosher” is simply a Russian derivative meaning that the food complies with the rules of Judaism.

Kosher McDonald's in Buenos Aires.

Contrary to popular belief, rabbis or other religious leaders do not “bless” food to make it kosher. “Blessing” is not related to the term “kosher.”

Kosher is not a cooking style. Chinese food can be kosher if it is prepared according to Jewish law, and there are many excellent kosher Chinese restaurants in Philadelphia and New York.

Conversely, traditional Jewish foods such as bagels, pancakes, matzo and ball soup may not be kosher if they are not prepared in accordance with Jewish law.

Some kashrut laws are outdated from a healthy lifestyle point of view

Many modern Jews believe that kashrut laws are simply primitive health regulations that are outdated. For example, according to current scientific knowledge, there is no reason to consider camel or rabbit meat any less healthy than cow or goat meat. There is also no direct scientific evidence or observations of harm from combining dairy and meat products (which is not kosher).

However, the logic here is different: a camel (not kosher for food) is more useful as a beast of burden than as a source of food.

The short answer to why Jews keep these laws is because the Torah says so. The Torah does not specify any reasons for these laws and the traditional Jew does not need to see any other reasons. A more detailed version from the book “Being a Jew” by Rabbi Chaim Halevi Donin: obedience to laws is such self-control as to learn to control even the simplest, most basic instincts.

We present here the basic rules of kosher with comments from Zozhnik.

Basic rules of kosher nutrition

The laws of kashrut stem from several fairly simple, understandable rules:

1. Some animals cannot be eaten completely. This restriction includes the flesh, organs, eggs and milk of animals, which are prohibited.

2. Of the animals that can be eaten, birds and mammals must be killed in accordance with Jewish law.

3. All blood should be removed from meat and poultry before cooking.

4. Some parts of permitted animals may not be eaten.

5. Fruits and vegetables are allowed, but must be checked for parts that cannot be eaten.

6. Meat (poultry and mammals) cannot be eaten together with dairy products. Fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables and grains can be eaten with any meat or dairy products. (According to some opinions, fish cannot be eaten with meat).

There is no scientific or medical evidence of harm from combining dairy and meat products in food. It is important to understand that both meat and dairy are protein-rich foods. Protein products– “heavy”, require more effort for the body to digest them. It is on the digestion of protein foods that the body can spend up to 30% of the energy it receives from them ().

7. Utensils (including pots and pans and other food preparation surfaces) that come into contact with meat cannot be used with dairy products, and vice versa. Utensils that have come into contact with non-kosher food cannot be used with kosher food.

8. Grape products made by non-Jews cannot be eaten.

9. There are several other rules that are not universal.

And now a little more detail on these issues.

Animals that cannot be eaten

Of the “beasts of the earth,” you can eat any animal that has cloven hooves and is a ruminant.. Any land mammal that does not have both of these qualities is prohibited. The Torah specifies that camels, jerboas, hares and pigs are not kosher because each of them lacks one of these two qualifications. Cattle, sheep, goats, deer, and bison are kosher.

Of the “aquatic” creatures, you can eat anything that has feathers and scales. Thus, shellfish such as lobster, oysters, shrimp, clams and crab are all prohibited. Fish such as tuna, carp, salmon and herring are allowed.

The complete exclusion of some healthy seafood, on the one hand, depletes the diet of some microelements. On the other hand, there are some:

For birds, the criteria are less clear. The Torah provides a list of prohibited birds, but does not specify why these particular birds are prohibited. All the birds included in the list are either birds of prey or scavengers, which the rabbis claim was the basis for their distinction.

Other birds allowed, for example, chickens, geese, ducks and turkeys.

Rodents, reptiles, amphibians, insects are prohibited.

Kosher slaughter

Mammals and birds that may be eaten must be slaughtered in accordance with Jewish law. It is forbidden to eat animals that have died of natural causes or were killed by other animals - which is quite logical from a health point of view.

In addition, animals must not have diseases or organ defects at the time of slaughter. These restrictions do not apply to fish, only small and large livestock.

There are special rules kosher slaughter of animals. Their meaning is reduced to a minimum of pain experienced by the animal before death. And this has an important meaning.

Commentary on this topic by the chef of the Delicatessen and Yunost restaurants, Ivan Shishkin, given by Afisha:

If an animal experiences fear or stress before slaughter, muscle glycogen stores drop and after slaughter the natural process of muscle pH drop is slowed or stopped. There is such a phenomenon as dark, firm and dry meat - dark, hard, dry meat obtained through the process of improper stress slaughter. It has a higher pH and tends to retain water inside. In appearance, such meat becomes tough and dark, which reduces its attractiveness to the buyer. Increased pH causes meat to spoil faster: many pathogenic bacteria survive more readily in a less acidic environment.

A sharp knife called a challef is used to cut open the animal's throat, causing the animal to immediately lose consciousness.

If the process is not done correctly, or the animal is not kosher, or the animal was killed by hunters not in accordance with the biblical laws of kashrut, Jews are prohibited from eating the meat.

Bleeding

The Torah prohibits the consumption of blood. Jews do not eat blood because the life of animals (literally, the soul of animals) is contained in the blood. This only applies to the blood of birds and mammals, but does not apply to the blood of fish.

An egg that contains very little blood can be eaten. Also in accordance with kashrut good idea– Crack an egg into a glass or cup to check it is fresh and edible before adding it to the hot pan. This simple rule should be taken into account by all cooks, regardless of religion.

According to kashrut, the consequences can be serious - if you suddenly break a bloody egg into a heated frying pan or pan, this utensil becomes non-kosher. You can no longer cook kosher food on it.

If your recipe calls for multiple eggs, crack each one into a glass one at a time so you don't waste all the eggs unless the last one is kosher.

Ban on fats and nerves

Kashrut requires careful attention to cutting meat. The sciatic nerve and adjacent blood vessels cannot be eaten. The process of removing this nerve is time-consuming and not cost-effective, so most kosher meat producers simply sell the hindquarters to non-kosher butchers.

A certain type of fat that surrounds vital organs and the liver cannot be eaten. Kosher butchers also remove this part of the carcass.

According to some sources, scientists have found biochemical differences between this type of fat and acceptable fat around the muscles and subcutaneous fat.

Kosher vegetables and fruits

All fruits and vegetables are kosher, but there are a few caveats.

Wormholes and wormy fruits and vegetables are not kosher. Fruits and vegetables that are susceptible to this type of damage should be inspected to ensure they are free of wormholes and rot. Leafy vegetables, lettuce and greens, strawberries and raspberries should be carefully inspected.

In addition, there is a separate ban on grape products made by non-Jews. Wine is widely used in rituals of all ancient religions. For this reason, the use of wine and other grape products made by non-Jews was prohibited.

A true Jew should drink only “kosher” wines – that is, wines made by Jews.

Separation of meat and dairy products

There is a phrase in the Torah: “Do not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.” The Oral Torah explains that this passage prohibits eating meat and dairy products together. In addition, the Talmud prohibits cooking meat and fish together.

This, however, allows you to eat fish and dairy products together.

Also It is acceptable to eat dairy products and eggs together.

This division includes not only food, but also the dishes, pots and pans in which they are prepared, the plates and cutlery from which they are eaten, the dishwashers and sinks in which they are cleaned, and the sponges and towels used to dry dishes.

Kosher living conditions must include at least two sets of utensils - one for meat, the other for dairy products.

However, as we have already answered above, this strict and key prohibition does not find support in the form of a scientific and practical explanation. According to the latest scientific knowledge, combining meat and dairy products is not harmful from the point of view of a healthy lifestyle.

Kosher supplies

Utensils (pots, pans, plates, cutlery, etc., etc.) must be kosher. The cookware raises the kosher status of food cooked in it. So, if you cook chicken soup in a saucepan, the saucepan becomes a vessel for the meat.

Kosher status can only be transferred from food to utensils or from utensils to food in the presence of heat (including hot spices) or prolonged exposure to fire, so if you eat cold food in a non-kosher environment, this is not a problem. For example, for ice cream (a dairy product), the container does not matter because it is cold.

This also means that you can use the same knife to cut a slice of sausage and cheese, but this is not the recommended procedure.

The clash of ancient laws with modern devices can be a comically serious problem. In theory, you need to have 2 dishwashers - for “dairy” dishes and “meat”. However, common sense in the modern interpretation of the Torah prevails and it is allowed either to have separate compartments for dairy and meat dishes in the “dishwasher”, or even simpler - to run meat and dairy dishes separately in the dishwasher.

Kashrut certification

The task of keeping food kosher is greatly simplified by widespread kashrut certification. Products that have been certified kosher are marked with marks that are usually designated by rabbis or certified product organizations.

Signs of “kosher” food products.

An example of kosher certification for domestic pasta.

The certification process is not about “blessing” the food, but rather it is about looking at the ingredients used to prepare the food.

The processes by which food is prepared are also reviewed, and processing plants are periodically inspected to ensure that kosher standards are maintained.