The concept of kosher products migrated to domestic spaces, along with immigrants from Israel. The way of life, and in particular the system of food consumption, among religious Jews is strictly regulated by a whole set of laws and rules, known under the definition of Halach. It is this set of rules that determines how suitable this or that food is for regular nutrition.
Currently, many people who are not Jewish and have nothing to do with Judaism prefer to visit a kosher grocery store. This is caused, first of all, not by religious considerations, but by the usual desire to lead a healthy lifestyle and form your own diet from products that are well absorbed by the body.
Kosher food and moral values
According to the requirements of morality, there are several rules that are imposed on the consumption of kosher food. The purpose of these rules is to:
- minimizing the number of animal killings for eating meat;
- the choice of the most humane, quick and painless ways to kill animals;
- education in future generations of a complete aversion to bloodshed.
Kosher meat can be called such only if its production is fully and fully consistent with the above principles. Manifestation of intentional cruelty towards sentient beings is forbidden by the holy book of the Jews. The same goes for killing, stalking, or hunting animals for fun.
According to the main provisions prescribed in the book of Halach, all herbivores, the meat of which is suitable for eating, are initially kosher. The assumption of any violent death of an animal or its injury does not in itself comply with the principles of kosher. Based on this, it is necessary to kill the animal very quickly, preferably with one precise blow. In addition, the use of blood in food is also unacceptable, since such actions are a manifestation of cruelty.
What are kosher products?
Understanding which products are kosher is not so difficult. So, a kosher store is a food outlet that can offer the consumer the widest possible range of useful, and most importantly, environmentally friendly products.
Many stores mark kosher goods with a special sign, which is a guarantee of high quality products. The cost of kosher food is an order of magnitude higher than the usual products familiar to every person. However, this is not surprising, because the assignment of a kosher sign to a product requires special certification, which in itself increases its value.
What does the kosher sign mean?
A kosher store is, above all, a place in which there are enough products with a kosher mark. The presence of such marks on food products means their production in environmentally friendly conditions, in compliance with all the rules and regulations of the Holy Scriptures. This, in turn, allows consumers to cast aside all doubts about the high quality of the products offered, their usefulness and cleanliness.
Kosher meat
Meat obtained from ruminant, herbivorous animals that live on land and have cloven hooves is considered kosher. In the sacred treatises of the Jews, other kosher animals are also indicated, which differ in only one sufficiently significant sign for free consumption in food. These include camels, rabbits and damans - herbivores that do not have cloven hooves, or pigs that meet the latest requirements, but do not chew grass.
To be on the list of products allowed for consumption, even kosher sausage must be produced in the absence of blood. Moreover, it is forbidden to consume eggs in which the presence of blood clots is noticed.
If we talk about the consumption of poultry meat, then almost all game and predators fall into the list of unlawful. Thus, only poultry belongs to the kosher category.
As for fish, creatures that have fins and scales are kosher. The remaining representatives of the water depths, such as crustaceans, eels, oysters, amphibians or octopuses, should not be used as food.
Dairy products
Dairy products are also included in the list of compulsory goods that a real kosher store should have. This is, first of all, the milk of kosher animals. Acceptable is the consumption of derivative products derived from the milk of kosher animals and meeting high quality and environmental safety requirements.
Neutral products
Fruits and vegetables are on the list of mandatory neutral products that a good kosher store should have. These are high-quality, fresh products grown in natural conditions without the use of chemicals, which did not come into contact with non-kosher goods. In particular, in kosher stores it is forbidden to distribute ready-made dishes based on vegetables in combination with animal products of unknown origin.
Neutral kosher products also include a wide variety of high-quality goods, starting with sweets and confectionery, ending with alcohol and baby food, if you have the necessary marks and certificates.