Food Laws in the Jewish Tradition

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There are many rules and regulations to do with food and the way it is stored, prepared and eaten. This is called Kashrut.

          Foods are split into three categories Kosher meaning fit to eat, trefah meaning forbidden foods and parve being neutral foods that can be eaten with both meat and dairy. Kosher animals are animals that have a split hoove and chew the cud, Kosher seafood are fish that have both scales and fins all crustaceans would be classed as trefah. The foods that come under the category parve are mainly fruits and vegetables that can be eaten with either meat or dairy.

          When it comes to dairy products it gets complicated. Dairy products are Kosher but cannot be eaten with meat, you have to wait 6 hours after eating meat to eat any dairy product. This is because it says in the torah; “And you will not cook the kid with the milk of its mother…”

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          When cooking in a kitchen jews have to be very organised to separate the meat from the dairy. Most jewish kitchens will often have two sinks, two sets of cutlery, crockery and utensils so that meat and dairy can be prepared separately. Glass is the one thing that can be used for both meat and dairy.

          The method in which a Kosher animal is killed is called Shechitah and is performed by a trained professional known as a shochet. He uses an extremely sharp blade to slit the throat of ...

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