Kosher means that it is made in accordance with Jewish dietary laws.
A kosher pickle is made in the Jewish way and usually contains garlic and is fermented not canned.
Jewish dietary law stated that milk and meat should never be eaten together, so a kosher cheese doesn't contain animal rennet.
That's the short version...kosher meat means that the animal has been killed in a humane way and that all blood drained.
I am sure a "real Jew" will pop in and explain further....but that's the short version.
Linda C

Kosher:
Dictionary say's,
Fit for use according to Jewish law.
Lou

Kosher also does not allow certain meats, like pork and shellfish.

Kosher laws dictate
-- which animals can be eaten - no pork or shellfish for example, but there are other restricted animals as well

-- what parts of those animals - no blood may be eaten for example, and again, there are additional restrictions

-- how these animals must be killed - in a humane way by someone who is authorized and educated in the acceptable methods

-- what the animals may be eaten with - the restriction against mixing milk with meat stems from the Biblical commandment prohibiting cooking a calf in its mother's milk

That's a simple explanation and if you want more detail, lots more is available by simply googling Kosher rules.

Apparently a Kosher pickle is Kosher because no meat products are used in making it. I didn't know this till I looked it up but apparently a by-product of meat fat is sometimes used in the brining of pickles.

Kosher pickles are favored by many -- maybe that animal fat ingredient detracts from the flavor or texture of pickles? I dunno.

Can someone explain to me where eggs fit into the Kosher usage, and are there special rules. Thanks!

Keeping a kosher kitchen also involves having two sets of flatware, dishes and cooking vessels, one for meat and the other for dairy. Flatware, for example must be marked as to which it is so the two sets never get mixed.

I have the impression that kosher can refer to a style of pickle as well as one which is certified as kosher. I'm not sure about that however.

Jim

Wow! Very enlightening. Thanks everyone!

Linda's first line is accurate, but there are a lot of conflicting rulings between different authorities about what is or isn't kosher, and different ways of practice. The "hecksher", or the mark of the supervising rabbinic authority is the "proof" that a product is kosher. People who keep kosher know that this authority has more liberal rulings on the transport of oil, and that authority is stricter about vegetables, and choose accordingly.

The word "kosher" on a package, like kosher pickles, means what Linda said in her second line, that it's in the style that one might find in a kosher deli. Because of truth in advertising laws, the word "kosher" usually means it's also kosher, but it's the rabbinic authority's mark that guarantees it. The letter "K" by itself on a package is meaningless. There is no trademark to a letter of the alphabet, so companies put K's on packages that they'd like you to believe are kosher, rather than that anyone in authority has properly certified.

Basics:

Do not combine meat (including poultry) and milk, including in pots, dishes and utensils, and wait between eating one and the other. (There's a lot more nuance, this is overview.)

Only certain species are kosher to eat. They are ruminants; Cloven hooves and chew cuds. There are birds that are specified as not kosher, but since so many aren't mentioned at all, the only birds that are eaten are those with a very long history of being eaten. Fish must have at least seven scales, and not be bottom feeders. No carrion eaters are kosher. Certain locusts are kosher--or would be if anyone knew which ones they were.

All animals must be slaughtered in a particular, ritually prescribed, humane way so that the animal does not suffer. Prayers are said acknowledge the taking of a life and the supremeity of the Divine. If it goes wrong that animal may not be eaten (in practice is sold to people who don't care). Blood is forbidden, so the blood must run out. The lungs are inspected for disease. The sciatic nerve must be removed in the correct way, which takes a lot of skill, so you don't usually see the back half of the animal in the U.S. as kosher (again, it's sold to those who don't care). Unless the meat is going to be spit roasted or grilled in such a way that the juices run out, it is salted before cooking to remove the rest of the blood.

Fish, eggs, and vegetative things (fruit, vegetables, grains, fungi) are "parve", meaning neither dairy nor meat, and can be served with either. There is an old tradition of not putting fish on the same plate as meat "for health" that most authorities have discontinued. For health is the strongest prohibition, but there's demonstrable evidence that it's not actually injurious. The best explanation I've found for the origin of the prohibition is that in ancient times there was a condiment made of fermented fish guts that people put on meat--and which could easily be tainted.

Vegetables and fruit must be inspected for bugs, especially a certain kind. If more than 7 are found, they're discarded. A lot of very observant people just don't bother with broccoli because it's too much trouble.

There are also mitigating laws, but a lot of people aren't comfortable with them. If the wrong thing gets into your food but is less than one sixtieth of the total amount, it doesn't taint your food. A cold knife of questionable kashrut (kosherness) can be used, but not on acidic things like tomatoes and pineapple.

Glass and metal can be made newly kosher with boiling water. Many more liberal people who keep kosher trust modern ideas of cleanliness, and will eat cold dairy/vegetarian away from a non-kosher source. Some will even eat hot, and will eat fish.

I think I'm leaving something important out (I'm just waiting for the electrician here). Almost everyone accepts the authority of the Orthodox Union (hecksher OU looks like a U with a circle around it) as kosher enough for everyone. Go to their website if you want a lot more details.

Oh, and there's Chalav Yisrael ("Jewish milk"), which is a separate tradition. That's where the milking and processing is supervised by Jews to make sure the milk isn't adulterated. Most people don't believe this is necessary in modern life in the U.S., but you can see from the Chinese thing with the melamine in the milk why this is still practiced by some.

And there are restrictions about handling wine and grape juice that befuddle me. It boils down to if it was only handled by Jews it's kosher no matter what. The befuddlement comes with the requirements for when that's not the case, what to do with it (there's some flash heating in there), and when it applies.

And, in addition, there is a special set of dishes which are used only at Passover. And, before Passover, all leavened food must be out of the house. If you use a dishwasher, you must have two--one for dishes used with dairy, one used for meat. This also requires separate pots.
And there's more! But his, along with what others have already provided, gives you a rough outline of keeping kosher.

Sushipup, eggs must not be fertile and must be inspected for blood to make sure. They can be used with anything.

Some rabbis make a differentiation between the blood of conception and a kind of something that looks like blood but doesn't taint the egg (sorry about my poor egg vocabulary).

I've heard of orthodox people having TWO sets of dentures.

I like being Methodist. :-)

From Wiki:
"Breast Milk
------ the prohibition against produce was not regarded by the rabbinical writers as applying to women's breast milk[42][43][44][45][46]; the only restriction applied to this substance was that it could only be consumed directly from the breasts by children younger than four (or five if the child is ill), and children older than two were only permitted to continue to suckle breasts, if they had not stopped doing so for more than three consecutive days.[47][48][49][50][51]
"

dcarch

Boy I've never heard of that but nothing surprises me anymore. There are lots of levels of observance and just as in anything else, people who like to take things to extremes.

I wasn't raised kosher and have never kept kosher. My son did for several years and gave it up recently. Keeping kosher is not only easy to do, but practically impossible not to do IF you live like Jews lived historically (which many Jews still do). That is to say, in an exclusively Jewish neighborhood with the Kosher butcher down the street and everyone around you practicing the same methods and restrictions.

For me, that's a big IF. Of course, lots of people who live in main stream society do manage beautifully. I guess it's just like any other religion - they all have rules which some choose to follow and others choose not to.

Oh! As Leel said, kosher for Passover is a whole different thing. During Passover one is never lenient--that is keep more strictly kosher than usual. The whole house is cleaned of any crumbs of the five prohibited grains: wheat, oats, rye, barley, and spelt. Separate dishes are used (though I'm not sure why, except maybe for wood, unless it's the more kosher than ever thing).

The only flour that can be used has been made into matzah, then ground back into flour. That is because matzah is carefully made so as not to have any free yeasts. Once the commandment to eat only unleavened bread has been met, it's okay to cook with the matzah (flour), even though, by tradition, it could collect free yeasts if combined with hot water (like making a cake). No yeast is used, though most people allow rising with eggs, and some even have kosher for Passover baking powder (though the thought of it freaks me out).

On the one hand, we're commanded to live simply and remember when we were wandering the desert and had nothing. On the other hand, this is a harvest feast, and we're supposed to be happy and rejoice.

There are also whole lists of "small things" that look like grain, and can be used in lieu of grain, that some traditions hold cannot be eaten during Passover. Other grains, legumes, sometimes seeds. Other traditions (the one I come from) allow these to be eaten, but not used as a flour source. Anything made in the U.S. and labelled "kosher for passover" or having a "p" next to the hecksher, does not contain them.

Lowspark, there are also a lot of very observant men who think they keep much more kosher than they actually do, because their wives don't tell them which craziness they don't follow. I'd rather be less observant and have a more honest relationship, but to each their own. I don't keep kosher myself--some of my direct ancestors didn't approve of religion that was focused on one's stomach--but I've been in charge of creating kosher meals that any Jew could be comfortable eating, so have had to learn a lot more than how my kosher relatives do it.

During Passover one is never lenient--that is keep more strictly kosher than usual.

Passover is my favorite holiday and I do keep it every year and don't eat any of the five grains (except in the matzo). But aside from the seder where I don't mix milk & meat, I don't keep any more "kosher" than I do the rest of the year. I don't buy kosher meat for the seder since I choose not to mortgage my house in order to buy a brisket, and I'm just as likely to eat salami & cheese on a matzo as I would be to eat it on a bagel when it's not Passover.

I know, I'm a heathen, but I'm ok with that!

As far as the wives keeping secrets from the husband I guess there's nothing new about that! I never made any pretense about keeping Kosher or for that matter, keeping Passover in the Ashkenzi way, to either of my Ashkenazi husabands. Didn't seem to faze either of them.

Wise man know it's easier to bow to wife's wishes than to antagonize the one who cooks your food - Mayfucioius

So as you can see, you asked a question with a VERY BIG answer! Even all this information barely scratches the surface. And there are so many judgment calls involved, there probably aren't two people in the world who keep kosher EXACTLY the same way or would make the same call 100% of the time.

I'll make only one partial correction: it's true that a plain K on a package with no circle or triangle or anything is not a hechsher -- i.e., no authority has certified that the food is kosher, it's just the producer's representation. But I wouldn't call it meaningless, because it's still subject to fraud and truth in packaging laws. And, as you can tell from the above discussion, I can promise you that every judge in America (at least any one who's ever thought about it) prays that s/he will NEVER have to decide a challenge!

I wonder if the observance of Kosher laws varies from sect to sect -- IOW, is there a difference (or not) in the way Orthodox, Conservative, and Reformed Jews observe/enforce Kosher laws?

This is the first I've ever heard of any Kosher laws regarding breastfeeding. I've never seen anything in the Mosaic laws about it.

All I know is, I love kosher hot dogs -- they are fantastic! (Don't care for kosher pickles, though)

I like the old Hebrew National commercial about 'We have to answer to a higher authority'. In general, I've found kosher products to better than mainstream; I'll buy kosher chickens when I can't find a free range one.

Mara:
Don't forget the Catholic jews !!!

Mara, most Reform Jews do not keep kosher, though some make a vestigial gesture such as forgoing pork, or not eating meat and milk together. Some Conservatives don't keep kosher at all, or do so vestigially, a few keep Orthodox style kosher, but most of the rest keep "modern" kosher. For instance, many accept labelling laws and do not require a hecksher on a box of pasta, or something similar where the ingredients aren't all that questionable, figuring that any issues would fall under one part in sixty. There is a Conservative ruling that rennet is "a new thing" rather than meat, so that most cheeses are acceptable, etc.

What my father taught me when I was little, along with the basics of keeping kosher, is that there's no such thing as a little bit kosher. Something is either kosher or it isn't. But the reasoning, opinions and traditions that bring someone to decide that something is or isn't kosher is variable.

My community accepts any hecksher. My dear friend, who is frum (extra strict) won't use anything with oil in it certified by a particular rabbinic authority because they consider the steam cleaning that tanker trucks routinely go through between shipments of oil and milk to be adequate. Stricter authorities require that the trucks be specifically kashered (I assume with boiling water). Most Modern Orthodox are strict but have leniencies. Some will eat in the house of someone who isn't strictly kosher, and will accept some packaged goods without a ruling. Most Frum have lists of which products are okay even though they have no hecksher and which heckshers are questionable, and won't eat in my home. Some won't even take a glass of water, even though glass is neutral.

As Gelchom said, there probably aren't two people who do it exactly the same way. Usually when someone wants to learn to keep kosher the rabbis say to find someone you respect who keeps kosher and learn from that person, because it's a lot more about the doing than the talking about it (even though we talk about it a lot).

"Certain locusts are kosher--or would be if anyone knew which ones they were."

I read something recently that this isn't the insect but rather the plant family, same one that contains Carob. This is supposedly what He survived on while wandering in the desert for 40 days, not eating bugs, but eating Carob.

Steve

mara, yes, it varies wildly. Not just from sect to sect, but from household to household. In Crown Heights, Brooklyn where my cousins live, there are certain families that won't shop in certain bakeries because they don't approve of the hecksher. My husband's grandmother, in Washington Heights, belongs to a sect that only eats a very specific hecksher, overseen my Rabbis (or direct descendents) from their original area of Germany.

Arley, it's funny, but I (and many kosher-keeping Jews) don't consider Hebrew National products to be kosher. Or rather, kosher enough. Their hecksher is not one that is generally recognized by more religious Jews. We're fairly lax, so I'll let my kids have a NH hotdog in a pinch, but I try not to make a practice of it.

There's a ton of info out there if you google it, but the posters above have given you loads of great information.

AM

Steve,
it's the insect.

from Leviticus Chapter 11
20. Any flying insect that walks on four, is an abomination for you.
21. However, among all the flying insects that walk on four [legs], you may eat [from] those that have jointed [leg like] extensions above its [regular] legs, with which they hop on the ground.
22. From this [locust] category, you may eat the following: The red locust after its species, the yellow locust after its species, the spotted gray locust after its species and the white locust after its species.
23. But any [other] flying insect that has four legs, is an abomination for you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Parshah Shemini

I have a question about the exemptions... and let me preface this by saying I am non-practicing and do not attend any church on a regular (religious? LOL) basis.....

I believe a few years ago, the Catholic Bishop from NY made an exemption for the "No Meat on Friday during Lent" rule because it was opening day at Yankee Stadium and he didn't want his faithful to have to forego a hot dog on opening day. Do Kosher homes get the same sort of "Free Pass" when there are extenuating circumstances like that?

Alexa

Well, if your life is in danger there are exemptions.

Not really. If you're in a circumstance where you will seriously have to go hungry if you don't eat food that isn't kosher, it's permissible to eat anything you can obtain that will contribute to your good health. In practice, that doesn't really come into play in a modern life of plenty.

There is a very very strong prohibition against embarrassing someone. Some people who keep kosher will eat whatever is put in front of them when they're a guest in someone's home (assuming it is not immediately injurious to health (e.g., rotten) which is the highest standard) on the basis that it's more important not to embarrass the host than to not eat the traif (not kosher) food.

Little children aren't responsible for keeping kosher, but they are responsible for minding their parents and learning. Sometimes they'll be given milk after meat without waiting the customary period, but they are generally given only kosher food to eat and told not to take food from people they don't know and trust. The meaning of "becoming a man" at a Bar Mitzvah is becoming responsible for following the laws, not ending childhood completely.

Anything that you really need to do for your health is acceptable. If you can find something as good for you that allows you to keep kosher that's better, but invalids aren't required to maintain kashrut. Neither are pregnant or nursing women who are in distress. That doesn't mean these people are going to be eating lobster, but they might eat a (kosher) butter biscuit after becoming nauseous eating meat, or might eat a gelatin in the hospital that isn't kosher.

I'm no Catholic scholar, but I believe not eating meat is considered a "penance" and that there are other penances that may be substituted for it that are of equal weight. There is no "free pass" on kashrut because either something is fit to eat or it isn't.

My brother converted when he got married. He told me he can't eat anything in my house that I cook because I do not keep Kosher. My oven, toaster oven, microwave and pots are not Kosher because they have been contaminated with pork and shellfish. He doesn't visit often, maybe once every 10 years or so and only for a couple of hours between meals.
Clare

And then we have the people who keep kosher at home and eat anything they want outside--lobster, pork, etc.

Oh, Clare, that's very sad! It's hard for converts because they don't have a family tradition and example to follow, so they tend to cling to a rulebook. There are a couple of good books about how to provide kosher food in a home that isn't kosher, but, as I said, it's hard for converts to loosen up. (Hug)

Here it all is explained for the rest of us....

I tired to do the ink to jewish4passover/jokes, but Gardenweb won't let me.... is this offensive, I ask?

Hmmm. I'll try.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jokes.

Helene, I don't know if I got the right link or not. Maybe you didn't have the entire URL or didn't give it a name.

Or perhaps the religious aspect was an issue if it wasn't the link I posted. The GW rules ask participants to refrain from religious discussion.

That's the one, thank you. This whole thread might be a problem to some people, but it's all about the food, right? Anyway, there are some cute jokes there.

A fascinating thread, thanks everyone for the additional info!

Steve