What does it mean for food to be Kosher? According to a book called Kosher Food Production by Rabbi Zushe Bleche, the production of Kosher food is both a complicated and interesting process. Kosher food has “nothing to do with a Rabbi blessing” but rather involves following procedures and using ingredients in accordance with Kosher law. Kosher law is “the application of a system of religious precepts and beliefs as they govern the types of food that people in the Jewish faith may eat”. For over three thousand years, Jewish thinkers have determined the laws governing Kosher foods by interpreting the Bible, among other sources. Many Jewish people have followed and continue to follow these dietary restrictions regardless of their distance from home.

Under the laws governing Kosher foods, there are seven basic rules to follow:

1. Animals that do not have a split hoof or chew their cuds may not be eaten at all. This restriction includes anything that comes from forbidden animals, including pigs, camels and rabbits. Fish that do not contain fins and scales– in other words, shellfish, such as shrimp and lobster– are also disallowed.

2. Of the animals that Jewish people may eat, birds and mammals must be killed in accordance with Jewish law. Any prepared meat must undergo a ritual slaughter called shechitah, a process believed to cause less suffering. In this more humane procedure, the shocket, or Jewish slaughterer, uses a sharp blade to make a single, quick and deep stroke into the animal's throat. A rabbi must oversee the process for the meat to be considered Kosher. 

3. Before Kosher meat is consumed, all blood must be drained or cooked out of the animal.

4. Kosher law forbids eating certain parts of sanctioned animals, including the chelev, a fat found in the kidneys and stomach, and the gid hanasheh, the sciatic nerve. 

5. Kosher law disallows eating meat with dairy. However, certain items, like fruits, vegetables, grains, and eggs, can be eaten with either meat or dairy.

6. If a utensil is utilized with meat, it cannot be repurposed for dairy, and vice versa. If a utensil comes into contact with hot, non-kosher food, it cannot be used to consume Kosher foods. To account for these rules, Kosher households keep separate utensil drawers. 

7. If a grape product is made by non-Jews, Kosher law forbids consuming it. Such products include wine, grape juices, and brandies. For wine to be kosher, the people making it must not only be Jewish, but must be observant.

The Sephardic Heritage Cookbook follows Kosher precepts. All of the recipes in this book reflect Kosher rules, such as having no shellfish and no pork products. The “Cheese and Potato Bourekas” recipe demonstrates this point. This recipe, described as a common food eaten during Shabbat or for holiday lunches, contains fillings solely of cheeses, potatoes and eggs. Bourekas can also be made with meat, but because meat and cheese cannot be eaten together under Kosher law, this recipe does not contain both ingredients. There are separate recipes for Bourekas with meat and Bourekas with cheese. 

Bibliography:

Blech, Zushe Yosef. Kosher Food Production. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2009.

Schecter, Solomon, Greenstone, Julius H., Hirsch, Emil G., Kohler, Kaufmann. “Dietary Laws.” In Jewish Encyclopedia. Accessed February 16, 2023.  https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5191-dietary-laws.