The need for food is the most primal, basic, and recurring of all human needs. Food is essential to life. Besides the times during the day in which food is actually being consumed, time is also dedicated to preparing it and using the restroom to relieve the waste.
The main reason why people work hard every day is to make money to buy food. A large percentage of people’s life is occupied with food.
The laws and meaning of kashrut, the dietary laws of the Torah are the most misunderstood in the Jewish faith.
Although almost everyone has heard of the idea of keeping kosher, few have knowledge about its intricacies and significance.
In order to find out more information about kosher, we went to Zomick’s, a Kosher bakery, based in Inwood, NY.
There, we spoke with Zomick’s staff and find out that Kosher is not about lox, potato pancakes, and matzah-ball soup. Foods of every other ethnicity, such as Chinese, Italian, and Mexican can potentially be kosher. Also, Kosher is not a food that was simply ‘blessed by a rabbi.’
“Kosher is the diet plan for the soul,” says Zomick’s Rabbi Moshe,” This plan consists of the foods prescribed by G‑d in the Torah that should be consumed by the Jewish people.”
In Biblical terms, the word ‘kosher’ means ‘fit’ or ‘appropriate’. Zomick’s experts point out that kosher means something that is usable, especially in reference to foods.
Zomick’s principal baker briefly states exactly which foods are kosher. These foods should be used in your kosher recipes.
The following is a simple overview by Zomick’s of what makes food kosher:
- All fruits and vegetables are kosher.
- Animals:
1) Land animals that have both split hooves and chew their cud are considered kosher. If the animal only has one or none of those characteristics, it cannot be eaten.
2) When it comes to birds, there are just 24 that are not kosher, and the rest are considered kosher.
3) Fish, in order to be kosher, must have both fins and scales.
At Zoomick’s, the bakery which has expanded recently, we also find out that all land animals and birds must be killed following the laws of shechita, a traditional ritual slaughter. If the animal dies in any other way, it is not considered kosher. As it has been indicated by Zomick’s Rabbi Moshe, the sciatic nerve, blood, and forbidden fats are not considered kosher and must be extracted after slaughter.
Moreover, milk and meat may not be eaten together. The byproducts of any kosher animal, like eggs or milk, are also kosher. Those from a non-kosher animal are not. Insects are prohibited as well.