What Is Kosher?

I think before reading about "what is kosher" it's important that I say that I observe kashrut, and I keep kosher as a way of turning a boring act required for living (eating) in to a holy and sacred act, an act that connects me in some way to G-d. I read something that said "Kashrut can be understood as a way of hallowing the very mundane act of eating, as a way of 'opening out' to G-d with every meal."

Another passage from the same book may answer your questions of "why". "Jews take on the mitzvah of kashrut for a variety of reasons: as something that connects us to countless generations of Jews; as a daily reminder of our Jewishness; as part and parcel of the overall discipline of being Jewish that we choose to practice. But for many Jews who keep kosher, the decision does not lend itself to rational explanation; it just feels right."


The word kosher is the Hebrew term for "fit" or "proper", while trafe is the Hebrew term for "torn" or "damaged".

When speaking about food, Kashrut (the dietary system of rules & laws set forth in the Jewish religion regulating what observing religious Jews eat) divides all kosher foods in to 3 categories. Dairy (milcheg), meat (flayshig) and neutral (pareve).

In general meat may not be mixed with dairy while eating, preparing foods, or cooking them. Therefore such foods as cheeseburgers, even if kosher beef and kosher cheese is used, is considered trafe.

The Torah lays out which animals may or may not be ingested.

The Talmud tells us how we may prepare our food. This includes having a separate set of dishes for cooking foods considered flayshig (meat) vs foods considered milcheg (dairy). Some people do not have divided cutlery, pots, pans, mixing bowls, and other  serving wear. In our home, for example, we are working toward a kosher kitchen, therefore for now we are careful not to mix cooking meat & dairy products within an hour of one another, and I  scrub anything used to cook meat twice prior to using it to cook something considered dairy. My goal is to eventually have 2 sets of pots and pans, 2 sets of serving ware (spatulas, mixers, large spoons), 2 cutting boards, 2 sets of cutlery, and 2 sets of mixing bowls. These dishes will be kept separate, only stored, used, and washed with other dishes of their own "type" (milcheg or flayshig).

Regarding specific foods, most fit neatly as either kosher or trafe, as follows:

Fish: Any fish that has fins and scales is considered clean. Any fish that is considered kosher is also considered pareve (neutral) and it is acceptable to serve and cook it with either meat or dairy. Fish that are considered trafe are such fish as shellfish, frog, shark, eels and so on.

Fruits & Vegetables: Anything and everything that grows is considered both kosher & pareve.

Meat: All animals that both chew their cud and have a split hoof are considered kosher - however for meat to be considered kosher the animals must be ritually slaughtered following the rules and laws of sh'chitah and by a special butcher called a shochet - a schocet is a person who is taught thoroughly in the religious aspects of kashrut as well as has hands on skills performing such slaughters. It is also important to note that meat may contain NO trace of blood therefore after ritual slaughter and inspection it is soaked in water, salted and the resoaked. Furthermore, when speaking of cows, only the front portions are considered kosher, the back hald is considered trafe.

Here is a picture I found via google images that helped me visualize which portions of the cow were used for food. 

Fowl: Most domestic birds are considered kosher - this list includes turkey, chicken, duck, geese, pigeons, song birds, and doves. Fowl are considered meat and should be prepared as such in your kitchen, being sure not to mix dairy products when serving or cooking. Wild birds or birds of prey are forbidden and considered trafe.

Eggs: Eggs from kosher birds are considered kosher as well as pareve, however eggs from non kosher birds are trafe.

Dairy Products: All dairy products are considered kosher, although some Jews ethically only ingest dairy products that are made with milk from hormone free cows, or cows that are considered "free range" ...this isn't a kosher thing, as much as an ethical choice, that  many non Jews make as well.

Liquor: All beers as well as grain & fruit liquors are kosher as well as pareve, however it is important to note that some cream liquors are considered dairy, therefore they aren't to be enjoyed during a meat meals.

Wine: Wine falls in to the category of items used for sacramental purposes and therefore the Talmud outlawed the use of any wine that is not made by another Jew for fear that it may have been used for idol-worship. For wine to be considered "kosher" it must be made under the supervision of a Rabbi and with the sole intent to be used for kiddush.


I hope this blog entry has helped you to understand the basics of what kosher is. There is much more to learn, one of the bigger things I didn't include in this blog post is the different levels of keeping kosher. There are many choices to be made, and not everyone keeps the same level of kosher as any one else. Thanks for reading!