Orthodoxy does not rule out kosher foods

Many people wonder if Orthodox Christians can eat kosher food? If we turn to the canons of the Christian religion, there are no food prohibitions in Orthodoxy. Restrictions are set for special periods of humility and spiritual renewal. Rozhdestvensky, Veliky, Petrov, Assumption Lent, as well as all Wednesdays and Fridays - the time of complete abstinence from meat and dairy products. This means that nothing prohibits an Orthodox tourist from trying kosher foods in Israel.

Many have heard the term "kosher". What does this term mean? When is it used? What is the origin of this concept? The article will provide answers to these questions.

"Kosher" in Hebrew means "fit." Therefore, under the concept " kosher food"today we should understand the process of maintaining life and health with the help of food, which at the same time does not harm a person.

Judaism - the oldest monotheistic religion in the world - presupposes observance of religious precepts, norms and rules - kosher, which apply not only to clothing, cosmetics but also to products. According to this principle, Jews must prepare food in accordance with the laws of kosher and strictly at a certain time.

The main purpose of the law is that kosher is rational and healthy eating, creating harmony in the development of the human body.

Kosher food

In the prescriptions of Moses, which are reflected in the written five-book law "Torah", it is indicated that non-kosher food has a bad effect on the health of an individual, his religious level decreases and his sensitivity deteriorates, therefore he is not capable of spiritual perception.

This law states that a person who has eaten the meat of a predator is capable of displaying aggression and is able to go astray. Therefore, only fillets of herbivorous animals will be considered pure food. The meat of carnivores is classified as a tref product, that is, prohibited.

Features of kosher food and products

Kosher food involves the use of strictly pure food by a person. According to Jewish prescriptions, all types of plants are edible products. However, not all fish, poultry or animals will be kosher food.

The blood of birds, animals or fish slaughtered in a certain order must be absolutely excluded from the diet, except for fish. A prerequisite when killing animals, the use of a sharp knife is used: so that the animal does not suffer, the slaughter process must be carried out quickly.

Before starting the process of cooking or frying meat, it goes through the stages of soaking in water, then it is kept in a special brine, and eventually it is rinsed well.

The process of cutting and verification of compliance with the conditions and criteria of kosher is carried out by a special qualified specialist - shohet, who has a certain permit for slaughtering the animal. In addition, the Jewish pig is considered an unclean animal, so pork will never be kosher.

Thus, the teaching of the Torah teaches a person discipline and limitations, fosters an antipathy to the shedding of blood and cruelty.

List of kosher foods and dishes

Kosher food is divided into three categories: meat ("basar"), dairy ("freebies") and neutral ("parve"). The basic principle of kosher nutrition is the complete separation of dairy foods from meat foods. Especially in order to ensure that the kosher position is respected, special canteens and kitchen appliances and dishes. Kashrut requires some utensils to be dipped in the mikvah before using them for the first time.

The process of preparing such products according to these principles involves the preparation of food in specially designated places.

Products in a neutral category can be eaten at the same time as one of these categories. This variety includes those fruits and vegetables that have not come into contact with non-kosher foods or are not worms.

List pure products pretty big. This pasta and legumes, fresh, canned or frozen fruits and vegetables, lean, peanut and olive oil, certain types of alcohol and soft drinks, selected brands of tea and chocolate.

This list can be continued, but in any case, you need to pay attention to the packaging of the goods: it will definitely have a kosher sign. In the event that the sign is missing, consultation with a rabbi is required.

How to prepare kosher meals? Suitable are those, in the preparation of which were used certain foods... Therefore, a dish that has been tested by a rabbi or was prepared in Israeli cuisine or in a Jewish restaurant will not necessarily be considered kosher. Not at all. A kosher dish can be made very easily by yourself, considering all the signs of kosher for the food that you have in your refrigerator in the kitchen. However, the main and main feature- this, of course, is the purity in their preparation.

We will talk about the features of products that are suitable for use in food below.

Kosher meat

Jewish cuisine involves the use of grass-fed artiodactyl ruminants. They, thanks to the muscular and glandular compartments of the stomach, are thoroughly digesting food. These are cows, and sheep, and goats, and moose, as well as gazelles. In addition, this includes animals that do not have a cut of hooves: rabbits, camels and hyraxes. In the "Torah" you can find complete list kosher animals.

According to the Torah kashrut, kosher meat is chicken, geese, ducks and turkeys. However, there are still exceptions: the meat of carnivorous warm-blooded oviparous animals.

Kosher dairy products

Is kosher a dairy product? What does it mean? A suitable product is milk that is obtained from clean animals. Only in this case is the product acceptable for consumption. Otherwise, it cannot be used for food.

Kosher food has a number of specific customs and traditions. The principle of kosher says that after consuming milk or other dairy products, you need to rinse your mouth and taste solid, neutral food that will not stick to the palate.

The custom of taking breaks between meals is considered very common. different categories kosher food. To eat meat, you need a break of 30-60 minutes. After meal hard varieties cheese and between the use of "basar" and "freebies" you must wait 6 hours. Milk can be eaten with fish, but from different dishes.

Fish that is considered kosher

She doesn't need to be killed in a special way... However, there are also exceptions here: kosher fish must be with outer horns and limbs. These are cod, flounder, tuna, pike, trout, salmon, herring, halibut, haddock. You can not eat crustaceans, arthropods and soft-bodied. Insects, snakes and worms also do not belong to pure species products.

Jews do not eat fish with meat products, but they can be placed together on the table.

Kosher "parve"

As noted earlier, even unprocessed fruits and vegetables belong to the parve category. The only condition for compliance with kosher in this case is the absence of insects in these products. Therefore, fruits, vegetables, which are susceptible to spoilage of bugs and other insects, are thoroughly checked and processed.

Poultry eggs are also in the neutral category. However, mostly foods are allowed for food. poultry with unequal ends, namely chicken, goose, turkey, pheasant and quail are also allowed. The Jews consider the eggs of carnivores or those that feed on carrion unclean. Foods with bloody spots are not kosher. Therefore, they are checked before use.

These types of pure products do not even require a special mark and can be mixed with others in any combination. However, if they were mixed with dairy or meat species, then they no longer belong to the "parve" category.

Where can you find such products

Kosher products are marked with a special sign that guarantees compliance with the principles of such nutrition, their usefulness, environmental friendliness and high quality... Due to some of the difficulties in preparing such food, the price of goods suitable for Jews differs significantly from the prices of food that can be found in the market or in the supermarket.

Where is kosher food most often considered traditional? Primarily suitable products can be found in Israel, but recently even the population of other countries attaches great importance to proper nutrition, therefore, such products can be found almost everywhere. And the presence of the kosher sign of the rabbi, who controlled the production process of the product, will help to make sure of its quality.

For several months already, The Village, in addition to regular headings and materials on hot topics, has been publishing packs of thematic articles. Week, week "", week and even "". In parallel with this, I want to introduce regular thematic weeks in the "" section. It so happened - and there is no particular reason, it just worked out - that the first will be "Kosher Moscow". I start with a small column on why eating kosher foods or kosher restaurants can be of interest to anyone, not just religious dieters.

Kosher is a sign of food quality, but not a type of cuisine

It is important to understand that kosher food is not a species national cuisine... Kosher food is any food prepared according to strict Jewish laws. So, dishes of both Italian and Georgian, and thai food... They just will not contain pork, sea reptiles, some types of fish, birds and even vegetables, they will not contain animal meat and milk at the same time, the quality of all products will be certified by the mashgiah, and there are many more small but important details.

This paragraph does not answer the question of why eating kosher is cool, it is for general development. Therefore, right there, just in case, I will tell you that the word "mashgiach" comes from the Hebrew "ashgakh" - "supervision, observation." Mashgiah monitors kosher in the restaurant kitchen: he checks food and dishes, turns the stove on and off. He must be a Jew with special training. Every kosher restaurant must have a mashgiah, only he has the right to light a fire. There are not so many Mashgiakhs in Moscow, and they often work in several places at once.

Kosher is known to be of better quality

Due to the fact that special attention is paid to the production of kosher products and the selection of raw materials for them, they are always of extra quality. No discounts for the human factor, carelessness or the speed of employees work here. The kashrut rules are tradition, what constitutes the survival system. While most non-kosher producers today are chasing profits and turning a blind eye to quality, there simply cannot be any indulgence. The rules do not change, do not adjust to the situation and do not bend to the requirements of the market and the economy.

Vegetables, according to the rules of kosher, must be very carefully checked and washed thoroughly, as they can contain larvae and adult insects. Mashgiah checks each vegetable for mold, rot and insect larvae, and his tasks include sifting flour and sorting out grain. The laws of kosher do not know any compromises, the slightest inconsistency - and the product is no longer considered kosher. When checked, 40 or even 100 percent of the animals can get married. At the same time, rejected meat and animals can fully comply with GOST, TO and other generally accepted standards.

It is important to say about slaughter separately. If there is no doubt that this meat is of high quality, then the opinion “the kosher method of slaughtering animals is more humane than the industrial one” raises big questions all over the world. Kosher is slaughtered with a smooth motion of a very sharp knife, cutting through most of the trachea and most of the esophagus at the same time. The fact is that a qualified carver can do this very quickly and in such a way that the animal does not have time to react and feel pain. But, firstly, not everyone has the same qualifications, and secondly, sometimes the process fails. The animal moves its head at the wrong time, the carver drops the knife - whatever, then one movement fails to kill, and the animal has to be slaughtered longer and more painfully. Such an animal is married and, as a rule, is rented out to a non-kosher store. Moreover, it is forbidden to stun an animal on kashrut. This is where animal rights activists take the stage. The modern non-kosher technology of stunning with a pneumatic pistol in an industrial environment is undoubtedly more humane in the eyes of ordinary people and the authorities. As a result, some countries now prohibit kosher slaughter, halal, by the way, too. Animal rights are said to be more important than religion. But this is an ethical issue, not a meat quality issue.

Kosher dishes are prepared for their own people. That is, they do not regret anything

Kosher food in Moscow is produced by Jews. That is, for themselves. Think for a moment about how strong the Jewish community is in Moscow, New York or Paris - no matter where. Kosher food and products are always well prepared.

A good example in Moscow is the choice of challah. Challah is a festive Jewish bread, similar to a brioche, most often braided with a braid. Hala is tasty not only for Jews, it was not for nothing that this bread was extremely popular in the USSR, there was a separate GOST for it, and margarine was used in the recipe. More often, however, at that time it was bashfully called "braid". So, as a big lover of challah, seeing it in a store or bakery, I always buy it. And it tastes better than the kosher that makes Pinhas, which is sold in small quantities on Fridays and Saturdays in the kosher supermarket, is not in the city. Only here one hundred percent do not spare the products and observe all the technology. The bread is soft, fluffy and very rich. Just the other day I sent challah from "Daily Bread" to the trash (I was assured in the bakery that it was the freshest), and before that - from "Bulka". They say there is hope for a deli in GUM, I will go there the other day and will write a full review by Friday.

Convenient for people with lactose intolerance

Restaurant menus never write the names of dishes next to them. detailed composition, waiters don't always know him either. The process of finding out takes time, which sometimes simply may not be, and a mistake at any of the stages is even more expensive. A kosher meat restaurant in this sense is a paradise for a person with lactose intolerance. In one kitchen, according to the laws of kosher, you cannot cook from milk and meat. Therefore, kosher restaurants are strictly divided into dairy and meat restaurants. So in the meat one you can be one hundred percent sure: there will be nothing dairy in any dish.

Convenient for those who eat halal

Kashrut is often compared to halal (rules in Islam). Muslims, like Jews, do not eat pork and follow the same rules for slaughtering livestock. Everything is kosher - halal, but not vice versa.

It is cheaper to eat at synagogues

It is very expensive to run a secular kosher restaurant. No wonder, having opened several years ago almost simultaneously, kosher Noodles and Ginz's "Zucker" quickly closed. But synagogue restaurants often have subsidies, because they are for their own. This helps keep costs down. And the portion sizes in cafes at synagogues and Jewish centers are comparable only with Chinese and Korean restaurants... So the benefits are clear.

You can eat on the plane

Who hasn't ordered kosher food on a plane at least once in their life? Especially if we are talking about Russian airlines, where the usual menu is not an object of desire, perhaps for anyone.

If you ordered kosher food when buying a ticket, you are guaranteed to receive food at least slightly more interesting than the famous "Chicken-o-Fish": hummus, fruit jelly, vegetable stew"Like grandma's" and rich mini-challah. Another important point is that the stewardesses always bring special lunch boxes with kosher food before the rest of the passengers.

Photos: Elena Tsibizova

Almost everyone knows about the concept of "kosher food". What is this term? What does it mean? The concept of kosher products came to us from Israel. It is there that there is a strict set of certain laws and rules for believing Jews - halakha. This list of norms covers the foundations of both family and religious, as well as social life. In halakha there is the concept of "kashrut". It means the suitability and permissibility of something for the life of believers.

Jews strictly adhere to the laws of kashrut when choosing products for cooking. varied dishes... They dictate religious rules and how food is stored. In other words, control over the quality of kosher food is pretty tight. It is carried out by one hundred and seventy organizations of Israel, each of which has its own seal. In the event that the food meets the requirements of kosher, everyone who wants to try it will know about it. The product will be marked with one of these seals.

What does it include? Foods that must be consumed according to the laws of halakha include:

- "Basar" (meat products);

- "freebie" (dairy products);

- "parve" (neutral products).

What does kosher basar food mean? This is animal meat. Moreover, for the term "basar" only herbivores with cloven hooves are suitable for the term "basar", the habitat of which is land. Thus, kosher animals include cows and sheep, gazelles and goats, giraffes and elks. Pigs, rabbits and camels are not included in this list. Meat must be free of blood to be kosher. Religious laws are very strict in this regard. It is believed that eating food with blood (even if it is contained in the egg in the form of a clot) awakens cruelty in a person.

Of the poultry, only turkeys and ducks, chickens and geese, as well as pigeons were included in the kosher list. Eggs permitted by religious laws for human consumption must have one pointed end and the other rounded. Fish that are considered kosher have two characteristics. She must have fins and scales. Eating insects, worms and snakes by halakha is prohibited.

Dairy products that qualify as kosher food, what is it? The list of "freebies" includes only food that is considered clean. In other words, dairy products should only be sourced from kosher animals.

Neutral foods that fit the term kosher food, what is it? "Parve" is non-worm fruits and vegetables. In addition, neutral foods are allowed to be eaten by religious laws only when they have not been in contact with non-kosher food. For example, it is forbidden to feast on a tomato smeared with pork fat.

Kosher products are very common in the Israeli market. However, this trend has begun to change steadily in recent years. Kosher food has already appeared in Moscow. And the point here is not an increase in the number of Jews living in the capital. It's just that more and more people attach importance to proper and healthy nutrition.

A dozen restaurants in Moscow offer dishes prepared from products that correspond to kosher. Moreover, every year the number of such establishments is growing steadily. In Izmailovo, you can taste food prepared in accordance with Jewish religious canons at the Eshel restaurant. On Tsvetnoy Boulevard you can visit the Tel Aviv restaurant, and on Sadovo-Triumfalnaya the Shokoladnitsa coffee house will offer a wide selection of kosher dairy products.

Every devout Jew should know and unquestioningly observe the laws of kosher. These rules apply to many areas of activity, but primarily they apply to food. Foods that are considered kosher are good for the body in the first place. It must be natural and meet strict criteria. Manufactures and restaurants that offer kosher products to customers in Russia must have an appropriate certificate.

What is kashrut

Kashrut is translated from Hebrew as "fit". This is a set of regulations that are permitted and prohibited, concerning not only food, but also other aspects. Kashrut laws are aimed at instilling self-discipline and the ability to self-restrain, as well as the spiritual cohesion of believers of Jewish origin. They are regulated by the Jewish holy book Torah, which prohibits cruelty, violence, bloodshed. The observance of the rules is carefully monitored by the rabbi.

Through the laws of kosher, eating is elevated from the animal to the conscious level. what is he like? First of all, it is healthy, wholesome, organic food. According to it, it has a positive effect on both the physical and spiritual health of a person. There are special lists of approved food products and their manufacturers. If you want to purchase or drinks, pay attention to the special sign or check with the seller for the availability of the corresponding certificate.

The Rabbinate divides all kosher into three main groups as follows:

• basar - meat products;
• freebie - dairy products;
• parve - neutral food (fish, vegetables, etc.).

Animal products - meat, milk, eggs

What is a kosher animal product? This is considered the meat of animals that are ruminants, artiodactyls, herbivores at the same time. For example, sheep, cows, goats, elk, etc. It is strictly forbidden to eat hares, hyrax and pigs. Among birds, predators are considered non-kosher. This is an owl, pelican, eagle, ostrich, heron. You can cook food only from domestic birds - chickens, geese, ducks, turkeys, quails, pigeons.

For the product to be usable, the animal must be slaughtered according to the special laws of kosher. Since the Torah is not permitted to eat blood, there are prescriptions for how to process meat. In addition, the carcass in mandatory checked for any disease.

In addition to meat, there are other products of animal origin. For example, eggs. They belong to the parve category. Eatable eggs should only be laid by kosher birds. One end of their shell should be rounded, and the other sharper. If suddenly there is a blood clot inside the egg, you cannot eat it.

Milk from kosher animals can be eaten. However, there is one limitation. Kashrut laws prohibit the sharing of meat and dairy products. There should be a minimum of 30 minutes between meals, depending on the community. Milk can be combined with products of other categories - vegetables, fruits, fish, etc.

Fish and seafood

Kosher fish product, what is it? According to kashrut, a non-predatory fish that has fins and easily removable scales is considered permitted. According to these characteristics, eel, sturgeon, shark, catfish are not kosher. Salmon red caviar can be eaten, but black sturgeon cannot. Various seafood- octopuses, crabs, oysters, lobsters, shrimps - do not have scales and fins, therefore they are prohibited as food.

Although fish is a neutral food category, it should not be mixed with meat when preparing meals or during the same meal. Dairy and fish can be eaten in one meal, but always from different dishes.

Insects

The Torah forbids eating insects, amphibians, and reptiles. Only certain locust species are allowed to be cooked. You should be careful with vegetables and fruits, because they may contain worms or their larvae. Flour and cereals must be sorted out and sowed so that insects do not get into the food, which can start in the bag and spoil kosher products. The unauthorized food list does not include honey produced by insects (bees). It can be eaten because, according to the Jews, it is processed flower juice. Accordingly, this is a product vegetable origin... In addition, honey is extremely useful, which does not at all contradict the laws of kosher.

Vegetables and fruits

Vegetables, fruits and herbs are classified as parve. What is a kosher herbal product? Undoubtedly, it must be grown in Israel. If the product comes from another country, but is in its natural form, you can also eat it. Unprocessed fruits and vegetables do not need certification. They can be mixed with meat and milk.

Plant foods should not be wormy or come in contact with non-kosher foods. In such cases, they become unsuitable for food.

Beverages

Among the drinks that are considered kosher are those made from grapes. Manufacturing process the right product extremely complex. It must necessarily comply with certain kosher laws. What does a kosher product mean when it comes to wine? The basic rule is that only a Jew should make it. If a person of a different nationality and religion touches the drink, he will lose kosher.

Grapes for the right wine must be collected only at a certain period and in a special place. The vineyard needs to be more than four years old and needs to rest every seven years. Before starting the production of wine, a compulsory ceremony should be performed. All equipment is constantly sterilized at the plant. No strangers should get here. Production is closed on Saturday.

Due to the difficulties in complying with all kosher laws, many winemakers prefer to make regular drink... For the same reason, a real kosher product (what is - read above) is very expensive, its price is much higher than good Italian or French wines.

Bread

Bread belongs to the parve category. According to the laws of kosher, a flour kosher product (what is a permitted food, it is written above in the article) is one that is baked by a devout Jew. The person watching the process must separate from each loaf small piece dough and burn it. If we are talking about large-scale production, then here the Jews should at least control the baking of bread and turn on the ovens. Do not forget that all ingredients used in the preparation of the dough must be kosher.