What is Kosher?

Kosher refers to Jewish dietary laws. Food that is in accord with Jewish dietary law is termed “kosher,” in English, from the Hebrew term “kashér” (pronounced “cash-air), meaning, “clean, proper or fit” (fit for consumption by Jews, according to traditional Jewish dietary law).

Many of the basic laws are derived from the Torah (Old Testament Bible) Books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, which do not explicitly state the reason for most kosher laws. Many varied reasons have been offered, ranging from: spiritual (God commanded us to do it and no other reason is necessary to observe them), metaphysical (to not put in us unwanted “energies”: animals or prey, bottom-feeders, life mixed with death as in mixing milk and blood, etc. ), philosophical (to become Holy), ritualistic (to perform the slaughtering in a state of spiritual cleanliness and compassion), practical (to discern the difference between the clean and the unclean), and hygienic (to avoid diseases and contaminations), etc.

Food that is not in accord with Jewish law would be, for example, meat from a non-kosher animal, or a kosher animal that has not been properly slaughtered according to Jewish law. The law states that Jews may not consume non-kosher food. Religious or “observant” Jews keep kosher, while some non-religious Jews do not.

The key principles of the kosher laws in regards to animals are: Only meat from particular species is permissible:

Mammals that both chew their cud (chew their food twice by chewing it, swallowing it, regurgitating it, and chewing it again) and have cloven hooves (a hoof split into two toes) are kosher (for example, beef cattle, lamb, etc.). Animals with one characteristic, but not the other (for example, the camel, because it has no cloven hooves, and the pig, because it does not chew its cud) are specifically excluded (Leviticus 11:3-8).

Fowl (birds), like chicken, must fit certain criteria. Birds of prey are not kosher. Also, there must be an established tradition that a bird is kosher (like a chicken or a turkey) before it can be consumed.

• Fish must have fins and scales to be kosher (Leviticus 11:9-12). Shellfish are not kosher. Eels are not kosher.
• Most laws regarding animals in the Torah are based on compassion (ritual slaughtering, “not cooking a kid in its mother milk”, “not removing an egg from a nest when the mother is present”, “feeding your animals before yourself”, etc.) and often based on more ancient laws (7 laws of Noah: “not eating the limbs of a live animal” , etc.) showing that ancient Hebrews were specifically concerned with non-cruelty to animals as well as respect for the Earth (see Eco-kashrus).
• Most kosher laws center around ritual slaughtering: mammals and fowl must be slaughtered in a very specific fashion by a trained Rabbi in the art of Shehita (ritual slaughtering) , using a special method described in Deuteronomy 12:21, which severs the jugular vein, carotid artery, esophagus and trachea in a single continuous cutting movement with an un-serrated, sharp knife, avoiding unnecessary pain to the animal. Avoiding unnecessary pain to the animal is very important. In addition, the body must be checked, post-slaughter, so as to be certain that the animal had no medical condition, or defect, that would have caused it to die of its own accord within a year, which would make the meat unsuitable.
• Blood must be removed as much as possible (Leviticus 17:10) through the kashering (or “koshering”) process; this is usually done through soaking and salting the meat; but organs rich in blood, like the liver, must be grilled over an open flame.

Meat and milk (or derivatives) cannot be mixed. For example, meat and dairy products are not served at the same meal, served or cooked in/with the same utensils, or stored together. Observant Jews have separate sets of dishes for meat and milk.

An important thing to remember about modern certification of kosher food is that it is meticulously looked after, from the very beginning of production, until the end, or packaging, to be sure that those growing and processing the animals are following Jewish law to the letter. This means that you can count on kosher products to be a very “clean” product, something consumers are wanting more and more.

Organic certification is a certification for producers of organic food and other organic agricultural products, like chicken. Requirements generally involve a set of production standards for growing, storage, processing, packaging, storing and shipping that include:

• Avoidance of synthetic chemicals, including fertilizer, pesticides, antibiotics, food additives, genetically modified organisms, irradiation (the process of exposing food to radiation in order to destroy microorganisms, bacteria, viruses, or insects that might be present in the food), and the use of sewage sludge
• Use of farmland that has been free from chemicals for a number of years (often, three or more)
• Maintaining strict physical separation of organic products from non-certified products
• Keeping detailed written production and sales records
• Undergoing periodic on-site inspections by the United States Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) and by organic certification agencies such as GOCA.

Certified organic producers are subject to the same and sometimes more stringent agricultural, food safety and other government regulations that apply to non-certified producers.

Sausages are usually made using a “casing,” which is the material that contains and encloses the filling of a sausage. This casing is usually made using the intestines of an animal, usually pork as the use of lamb casing has almost disappeared in the US, or synthetic (as in plastic casings for hot-dogs) or collagen (ultrathin layers of skin extracted from the hide of an animal). Neshama Gourmet Kosher Sausages use kosher beef “collagen” as a casing, which is the main protein of connective tissue in animals and the most abundant protein in all mammals and is natural and safe to eat.

A question frequently asked is : What is the difference between sausages and hot-dogs? Hot-dogs use all types of left-over meats from deboning and all types of meat packing operations. They also have usually a lot of fat and water and sometimes soy protein in it. Our sausages use only selected and very lean parts of the poultry (usually boneless breasts and dark meat), spices and herbs and that’s it.

It is also an excellent way of controlling the amount protein you incorporate in a diet. The weight is consistent and the flavors are many and delicious.