What makes a food kosher?

Question

What does kosher mean?

Answer 1

first of all, there is no such thing as a 'blessing' to make food kosher!!!

something is kosher if it follows the laws set down in leviticus, with additions made by the rabbis. meat and milk can never be mixed or combined, can't be cooked using the same utensils, or served on the same dishes. fish has to have fins, scales and not be scavengers. kosher animals have to have hoofs and chew their cuds. the list of animals which are acceptable was decided millenia ago. the method of slaughter for animals has to have the throat slit, in one movement, with a knife which has no imperfections, nicks, or dullness to it's blade. after slaughter, the lungs are inspected, to see if the animal had been diseased, if so, then there are questions for a rabbi to decide, if it's fit to be kosher. the hindquarters of any kosher animal normally aren't used, it's too hard to remove the sciatic nerve which runs through it. vegetables and fruits have rules as well, as does produce from the land of israel.

there are many many volumes of information on this, i hope that this is helpful for a short, off the cuff answer.

btw, there are many certifying organizations, the "o-u", the "o-k" and others, which certify foods as kosher, and have their
symbol placed on the packaging, to show interested consumers that the food is kosher.

Answer 2

Kosher means that the food complies with the old testament laws.. It has nothing to do with being blessed by a Rabbi. Kosher certification is more an inspection by an expert (usually a Rabbi) who has studied the laws and their talmudic interpretations. It not only covers which animals and foods are permitted, but also how animals are slaughtered and handled and to a certain extent eaten. Something which is not 'kosher' cannot be made so. Many natural products which are not adulterated, cooked or prepared are kosher without any special precautions.

When it pertained to girlfriends, my father meant 'not a slut'... which in the sixties, was not an easy requirement to satisfy.

Answer 3

Kosher foods are those that meet certain criteria of Jewish law. Invalidating characteristics may range from the presence of a mixture of meat and milk, to the use of produce from Israel that has not been tithed properly, or even the use of cooking utensils which had previously been used for non-kosher food. Kosher foods are labeled so people are able to tell the difference

Answer 4

Dear, Food in accord with halakha (Jewish law) is termed kosher in English, from the Hebrew term kashér, meaning "fit" (in this context, fit for consumption by Jews according to traditional Jewish law). The equivalent for Muslims, as per Islam, is Halal food.

Answer 5

Food that meets the requirements and preparation standards of Levitical Law and is supervised over by a Rabi

Answer 6

http://www.jewfaq.org/kashrut.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashrut

"Contrary to popular misconception, rabbis or other religious officials do not "bless" food to make it kosher.", www.jewfaq.org

some rules are:
1.meat and milk can't be mixed
2. no pigs or shellfish
3. animals blood must be drained a certain way from thbody

Answer 7

The particular food must be prepared according to Jewish Law.

Here is a bit you can read about it =

http://ask.yahoo.com/20060125.html

Answer 8

usually its for Jewish ppl, basically they are looking for the food to be blessed by a person of high ranking within their religion and/or for the food to be allowed to be eaten it's a part of their strict diet.. not mixing dairy foods with meat and not eating pork...

Answer 9

Only Pure Ingredients....Nothing artificial.....

Answer 10

it has to meet certain stipulations according to Jewish law