Kosher Defined

[MrzDiva]

TweetEver wonder what that little "K" on a bottle means?

Ever think it could have a meaning that goes back thousands of years?

That little "K" on a bottle or can means "Kosher".

Kosher is the term applied to food that is approved by proper Jewish authorities, which is usually a rabbi. This approval means that meat and other food products have to be prepared in a certain way and overseen by a rabbi that specializes in the preparation of kosher food.

Kosher Law, or keeping Kosher, had its roots in ancient Jewish history. Often, foods declared or reasoned to be Kosher were done for very practical reasons. Chief among those reasons was health. Many Kosher laws applying to foods and food preparation were applied because they led to healthier foods and less sickness. It is believed this was accomplished through the centuries by trial and error, as scientific examination of foods on a microscopic level was, of course, impossible at the time.

Kosher laws oversee the types of animals that can be eaten, the blood that comes from the animal, the cuts of meat that may be eaten, the by-products of the animal and even dairy and cheese products.

Kosher law even describes how an animal may be slaughtered.

Kosher Laws can be complex, even to those who try to keep Kosher. Sometimes the laws are a bit different, depending on the Jewish sect. Some are stricter in their reading of Kosher Law than others, leading to confusion sometimes.

Meat in Kosher Law gets a lot of attention. It is stated in the Bible that any animal that chews the cud and has cloven hooves is ritually clean. If an animal only chews the cud or just has cloven hooves it is not ritually clean. Birds are not excluded from kosher oversight. Birds of prey, for instance, may not be eaten. Fish are allowed if they have fins and scales. Any other type of seafood is not allowed, so no shrimp or lobster, sorry. Pigs and camels and hares are not allowed to be eaten. Some of the obvious health benefits are realized here. Shellfish often creates an allergic reaction in people, sometimes with deadly results. Pigs will eat anything, and sometimes that resulted in the pigs eating and digesting diseased animals or plants.

Blood is not allowed, because through blood flows the life of animals. If you think about it there are many blood borne diseases, and this was one ancient way of keeping transmission of diseases from one species (animal) to another (human).

Dairy is sometimes confusing, too. It is widely held that dairy from a kosher animal is ritually clean. However, in modern dairy production, where animals are worked factory style, it is held that some of the kosher animals will be exposed to unclean animals, thus making them unclean.

Overall, Kosher Law served to protect ancient people from making unhealthy food choices. Later, as these rituals and practices were seen to be wise and prudent, they were adapted into the Jewish culture and ritualized by being included in the Torah and later into the books of the Bible.

[Dzone]

TweetInteresting. Yes, that whole Kosher thing is just religious lunacy. LOL

[suprfast]

TweetThe reason why dairy is hard to be claimed as kosher is, cows cannot be certified kosher until after slaughter. Any cows with disease could have produced milk that was Kosher only to later find that it was a sick cow.

I wouldnt just call it religious either, its cultural.