It has been said that keeping kosher is not particularly difficult by itself. What is difficult is that most of the rest of the world does not follow the kosher laws. This can make it challenging for Jewish people to eat out or plan large events. The key to having a successful function is to find Jewish catering services that know how to keep kosher.
Rules For Keeping Kosher
There are several rules that Jewish catering companies must follow in order to ensure that all of the food that they serve is kosher.
1. Certain Animals Are Taboo – there are several types of animals that Jewish people who keep kosher cannot be eat such as pigs, camels, rabbit, lobster, oysters, clams, shrimp and shellfish. The law prevents not only the eating of the animal’s meat but also the consumption of the skin, milk, eggs or organs of the animals as well.
2. Proper Butchering – all animals eaten must be slaughtered in accordance with Jewish law and must have all the blood drained out of them before they can be eaten. They also must be inspected to insure that they are healthy. Any diseases of flaws that are found in the organs would prevent the meat from being consumed. Animals that died of natural causes or were killed by another animal cannot be eaten. The butchering must be as humane and pain free for the animals as possible and follow the ritual slaughter called shechitah.
3. No Bugs – while fruits and vegetables are allowed they must be free from bugs or insects which are not permitted.
4. Milk and Meat Stay Separate – meat cannot be eaten with milk or any dairy product but fish, fruits, vegetables and eggs can be combined with either meat or milk.
5. Keep Utensils Separate – any utensils that are used to cook either meat or milk products must be kept separate from each other. Also if a utensil comes into contact with a non-kosher food it may not be used for kosher foods.
6. No Outside Grapes – Jewish people may only eat grape products that are grown by other Jewish people. This is because grape products were often dedicated to idols in the Torah.
7. No Scavengers Allowed – birds of prey are not allowed to be eaten because they are considered to be unclean since they eat dead animals.
Jewish catering companies will know where to shop for kosher food and how to properly prepare and combine everything according to the law.
