Not all people of Jewish heritage or faith eat kosher, but many do.
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Kashrut
“Kashrut” is a Hebrew word meaning fit or proper.
Food that follows kashrut is considered kosher.
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It is about devotion to the Jewish religion and following the Torah.
The Torah is the sacred Jewish book of teachings.
Jewish people interpret the dietary laws differently; not everyone keeps kosher.
What Makes Food Kosher?
To be kosher, a food (and its preparation methods) must follow a set of dietary rules.
Food that is not kosher is called “treif.”
Certain Meat
You may be wondering what meats are kosher.
Mammals must chew their cuds and have cloven (split) hooves to be considered kosher.
It also must be slaughtered and processed following kashrut.
Certain Poultry
According to kashrut, there are 24 birds that are forbidden to eat.
Other birds are assumed to be kosher.
Certain Fish
Kosher fish must have fins and easily removable scales.
Certain Dairy
Dairy products must come from a kosher animal.
It also must be made in specially designated pans that aren’t used to cook nonkosher foods.
They are considered pareve (neutral) and can be paired with either meat or dairy.
Importantly, fruits and vegetables must be inspected for bugs or insects before eating.
If they contain bugs, then they are nonkosher and cannot be eaten.
Kosher Salt vs. ## List of Nonkosher Foods
Below is a list of some well-known nonkosher foods.
There are more foods than those listed below that are considered nonkosher.
Kosher Beverages
Like food, beverages must also be made with kosher ingredients and production methods.
Everyday Kosher vs. Kosher During Holidays
Eating kosher is different from eating “kosher for Passover.”
Passover is an important Jewish holiday that lasts eight days during the spring.
During Passover, there are additional Jewish dietary laws.
This is why kosher certification programs exist.
Look for a “hechsher” symbol on the packaging to tell if a food is kosher or not.
This is a rabbinic seal of approval or Kosher certification symbol.
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Springer International Publishing; 2020:593-614. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-14504-0_158
Orthodox Union Kosher Certification Service.Kosher food: the kosher primer.
Jewish Museum London.The kashrut laws.
Chicago Rabbinical Council.A basic overview of kosher.
2017;128:30-33. doi:10.1016/j.meatsci.2017.01.013
Judisches Museum Berlin.Kosher - what is it?
Worldwide Kosher Certification.What is kosher?
The Seal of Kosher Trust.Kosher veggies examination.
Orthodox Union Kosher Certification Service.Understanding kosher wine.
