Standards and Regulations

Kosher food is food that conforms to Jewish religious regulations, which make up the main kashrut (Jewish dietary laws). Meat, eggs, dairy, and other products all have their own kosher requirements. Reasons for a food being non-kosher include using ingredients from non-kosher animals, or using kosher animals that have not been properly slaughtered, being produced by non-Jews, mixing meat with milk/wine/grape juice (and their derivatives), and even using utensils and equipment that have previously served non-kosher food.

meat

In Judaism, most of the Kashrut laws concern animals. The Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament) clearly states which animals are permitted and prohibited to be eaten.

Kosher slaughter methods

Jewish law states that kosher mammals and birds must be slaughtered according to strict guidelines, known as shechita. Hunting is prohibited; animals must be captured alive and slaughtered according to regulations. A professional executioner, who strictly adheres to these rules, carefully inspects each animal being killed, using exceptional technique to cut the throat at a precise depth, causing the animal to bleed to death. After the animal is killed, it is opened and inspected for any irregularities.

Since Jewish law prohibits the consumption of any animal's blood, all blood and large blood vessels must be removed from the meat, most commonly by soaking and salting, but also through a special roasting process.

Honey

Honey is kosher, and Israel is alluded to in the Torah as the land of milk and honey.

Egg

Kosher eggs are kosher. For Spanish and Portuguese Jews, if there is blood in the egg white that can be removed, it is kosher and can be eaten. If there is blood in the yolk, it cannot be eaten. For German, Polish, and Russian Jews, it does not matter whether there is blood in the egg white or the yolk. Unformed eggs can be eaten if the blood is removed according to regulations.

dairy products

Milk and milk-derived products from most kosher animals are kosher. Those from animals mentioned in the Talmud as sick, injured, or incapable are not kosher.

cheese

The production of hard cheese often involves curdling. While curd can be derived from plants or microorganisms, it is often derived from the stomach lining of animals and therefore may not be kosher. Curd is kosher if it comes from the stomach of a kosher animal slaughtered according to Jewish law. However, if it is mixed with milk, it becomes non-kosher cheese.

gelatin

Most kosher products today use fish gelatin. One concern with using gelatin is whether it is parve (a kosher food that does not contain meat or dairy). Kosher parve "gelatin" is derived from vegetarian gum, which differs from protein-based gelatin. Other similar gelatin materials include guar gum, locust bean gum, xanthan gum, acacia gum, and agar-agar. Recently, such products have been used in prepackaged gelatinized fruit products, replacing animal gelatin. Although most gelatin is considered non-kosher, some prominent rabbinical authorities point out that gelatin that has been processed and chemically altered so that it is no longer meat may be considered parve and kosher.