Kosher diet – what it is and what it consists of

A kosher diet is a type of food that follows the dietary laws set out in the Torah, or Jewish scriptures. These laws are known as kosher and determine what types of foods can be consumed, how they should be prepared, and what combinations cannot be eaten together. The main purpose of these restrictions is to provide Jews with a high level of spiritual purity during meals.

The genesis of the kosher diet

The kosher diet is one of the oldest and most respected food systems in the world. Since ancient times, people have followed these rules in order to maintain religious and physical cleanliness. This diet has its roots in Judaism.

What is the kosher diet

The kosher diet is a way of eating strictly defined in Judaism. It was created to enable people to adopt a positive attitude towards food and take care of their physical and spiritual health. The kosher diet covers a wide range of foods, and its main purpose is to maintain a continuous rigorous discernment between those foods that can be consumed (kosher) and those that should be avoided (treif).

What is the kosher diet

The kosher diet involves avoiding certain animal products, such as pork and shellfish. All ingredients used must come from approved sources, such as certified kosher animals or plants grown without insect infestation. This helps prevent cross-contamination between different types of foods. Dairy products must come from animals with split hooves, such as cows or sheep, and not from camels or horses. In addition, when preparing dishes, you can not mix meat with dairy products. Instead, you should always use separate utensils for each type of food product when cooking at home or ordering from restaurants. All meat served on a kosher plate had to be slaughtered according to Jewish law by a licensed butcher (ritual butcher).

Fish and seafood in the kosher diet

Not all fish and seafood is accepted in the Jewish environment. Permissible in the kosher diet are: carp, salmon, mackerel. Non-kosher are: shrimps, mussels, crab, lobster, catfish, eel.

Alcohol in the kosher diet

Kosher is vodka based on potatoes or grain. It can not be tasteful. Wine is allowed if the producer is a Jew – a man. Devices and utensils used for non-kosher purposes must not be used in production. However, there are exceptions – boiled wines. This type of wine can also come from non-Jewish productions.

Kosher diet rules

It is not allowed to eat meat and dairy products at the same time. A break of at least 3 hours should be used (usually 6 hours) if the meat was eaten first and half an hour if the milk product was consumed. In this way, it is emphasized that milk comes from a living animal, and meat from a dead one. Meat before preparation should be thoroughly cleaned of blood, soaking in water, rinsing and sprinkling with salt.

Diet not only for the followers of Judaism

Observing kashrut is becoming increasingly popular among people who don’t necessarily practice Judaism but want to have access to healthier options free of hormones and chemicals found in animal products from factory farms. Such requirements are met by many certified kosher products due to the strict quality standards of control during production processes.