Kosher Caterer
Kosher Foods and Wines
 What makes a wine kosher ? An often-misunderstood concept in society today is what exactly makes wine kosher. Common knowledge may suggest that the dubious distinction of kosher wine is related to the blessing of a rabbi. Past experience may dictate that kosher wines must be sweet and sticky in order to be kosher. However, none of this is true. Kosher wine is a completely natural product, from grapes to the finished wine. There are no artificial additives; nothing is put in at any stage that is not natural. A simple definition of "kosher," is a food prepared in accordance with Jewish dietary laws. The term "kosher wine" refers to a process in the way the wine is produced and is not a variety of wine. In other words, kosher wine is not like Chinese or Italian food, which are varieties of food. Since kosher law does not prohibit the use of specific wine styles, grape varieties, or origin, any wine made in accordance to these rules can be kosher. This explains the "surprisingly" large variety of kosher wines available from around the world, including New York, California, France, Israel and Italy. The production of kosher wine entails the following: The equipment and machinery used to make the wine are used exclusively for the production of kosher products. From grape crushing to the sealing of the bottle, only Sabbath observant Jews may handle the grapes and wine, unless the wine is Mevushal (pasteurized). Only certified kosher products (yeast, filtering agents, etc.) may be used in processing. Kosher wines are subject to a very stringent filtration procedure and no foreign substance may be used (unlike non-kosher wines, which often use gelatin, rice, milk products or animal products for clarification and purification processes). No artificial coloring or preservatives may be used. Many kosher wines, including those of Baron Herzog, are made mevushal, or pasteurized. A mevushal wine is one that may be handled by the general public, like a non-Jewish waiter, and still remain kosher. Mevushal wines undergo an additional step that non-mevushal wines do not go through. In this added step, the crushed juice is flash pasteurized before fermentation (for white and blush wines) or just after alcoholic fermentation (for red wines). A common misconception is that the wine must be boiled in order to become mevushal. The wine is not boiled and the taste of the wine is not diminished in any way as a result of this, or any other process in the production of kosher wine. It is important to note that flash pasteurization today is a fine, delicate and highly sophisticated process where the wine is heated up to a temperature of approximately 85 degrees Celsius for just a few seconds and then it is cooled "in a flash." Experiments at the University of California at Davis have pinpointed the time/temperature threshold at which a sensory difference can be perceived. Baron Herzog kosher wines are flash pasteurized at one-tenth that threshold factor. In fact, there is evidence that in some ways the wine may benefit from this process. Aroma, especially in white wines, appears to be better, shelf stability is improved on all wines, and some aspects of flavors seem to be enhanced by the mevushal process. The origin of making kosher wine "mevushal" dates back to ancient times. Wine was once used for idolatrous worship. However, wines that were mevushal were considered unfit for pagan worship due to the pasteurization. Making kosher wine mevushal became a means of preventing wine produced for Jewish ceremonies to be used in pagan rituals. While at one time the process of pasteurization altered the flavor of the wine, modern implementation of this process assures that the wine remains unaffected. In regard to the perception that kosher wines are sweet, the response is that this perception is due largely to historical circumstance, having nothing to do with kosher supervision. The Concord grape, the only variety that was available for Jewish immigrants arriving in the New York area, is an acidic grape that must be balanced with sugar to be enjoyed. This explains the prevalence of sweet kosher wines. As time passed, this compromise in quality became an association with kosher wines in general. Today, the range of grape varieties used for the production of kosher supervised wines has greatly expanded. Consequently, kosher wines are available in all varieties from around the world. By employing the services of master winemakers, using only premium grapes and applying state-of-the-art viticultural techniques, modern kosher wines are often superior, or at least identical in quality to non-kosher wines. The result- award winning wines for every occasion. What constitutes kosher food? In determining whether a recipe you want to post is kosher, bear in mind the basic concepts of kosher food: no mixing of dairy and meat; no pork or pork products; no shell fish. This also applies to food products containing such ingredients. For example, a food coloring made from a shell fish would be considered unkosher and would taint the food in which it might be used. Similarly, using, e.g., an animal fat together with dairy ingredients renders the product unkosher and taints even the implements used in making it. If a recipe is not in keeping with these basic requirements, consider whether substitutions can be made to adjust it for "kashruth" (e.g., substituting margarine for butter in a meat recipe). If you are unsure of how to make such substitutions, post the recipe and ask for suggestions as how to do so. Please note clearly that the recipe is not fundamentally kosher. The following provides further details as to which foods are acceptable. MEAT Meat That Is Allowed Beef Veal Venison Mutton Lamb Notes: 1. The animal from which the meat is taken must have been slaughtered in accordance with prescribed Jewish ritual. 2. All liver must be broiled before use in recipes, because of a prohibition against ingesting blood. All meat must be kashered by (1) soaking and salting or by (2) sprinkling with salt and broiling. Liver may be kashered only by broiling. Ashkenazim generally soak and salt all meat, while Sephardim omit this if the meat is to be broiled. Note that if the meat was not kashered within three days of slaughter, it should be kashered by broiling. For meat which has been frozen. [Consult your local authority on "halakha."] 3. Because the sciatic nerve and certain parts of the fat must be removed in order to eat the meat of the hindquarters (this is a laborious job and takes special training), filet mignon, rump and sirloin steaks, leg of lamb, and London broil usually are not available in kosher form in North America, though they may be in other parts of the world. Meat That Is Not Allowed Any animal which does not both chew its cud and have a split hoof, such as rabbit or hare, pig, horse, dog or cat. POULTRY AND OTHER FOWL The Torah names the bird species which are not kosher. Since we are not certain to which birds all of these ancient Hebrew names refer, only birds which traditionally have been eaten are allowed; primarily, domesticated fowl. Please note that they are considered to be meat. They must be slaughtered by a ritual slaughterer (shokhet), and the prohibition against mixing dairy products with them applies, as for with other sources of meat. Fowl That Is Allowed Chicken Turkey Quail Cornish Hens Doves/Pigeon (Squab) Goose Duck Pheasant Note: All liver must be broiled before use in recipes, because of a prohibition against ingesting blood. Note: In the U.S., the only fowl which are kosher-slaughtered, commercially, are chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese. Fowl That Is Not Allowed In most general terms, birds of prey are not allowed. FISH Fish That Is Allowed Fish must have both fins and scales that are detachable from the skin. All fish which have them are allowed. Fish That Is Not Allowed All shellfish (shrimp, lobster, clams, oysters, scallops, etc.) and crustaceans (crabs, crayfish/crawfish, etc.) Scavengers/"Bottom-feeders" (such as catfish, monkfish), unless they have fins and scales. Sturgeon (and, by extension, sturgeon caviar) and swordfish -- some Conservative opinion finds these acceptable. [Consult your local authority on "halakha."] FRUITS, VEGETABLES AND GRAINS All fruits, vegetables and grains are allowed. Grape Products: Because of the sacramental dimension of wine in Judaism, a special body of laws governs grape products. Kashruth-observant Jews use only those grape products which have proper supervision. This applies to wine, grape juice, grape jelly, vinegar, and all soft drinks that use white grape juice as a sweetener. It does not apply to fresh grapes or raisins. NOTE: All kosher Israeli wines are produced under conditions of Passover kashruth. They are, thus, all KLP (Kosher l'Pesach) year round. Israeli posters should note that all local produce must be tithed before it may be used. This is generally done for produce sold in stores and markets, but should be done by the consumer for produce bought directly from the farm. [Consult your local authority on "halakha."] SEPARATION OF DAIRY FROM MEAT Meat and dairy ingredients must not be mixed together. Milk dishes must be cooked and eaten separately from meat dishes. Meat dishes must be cooked and eaten separately from milk dishes. This prohibition against mixing dairy and meat also extends to the plates, cutlery, utensils and cooking vessels used in association with them, necessitating a full set of each in a kosher kitchen. In addition, many keep additional sets and equipment which are pareve (neutral). Sephardic tradition considers glass dishes to be neutral. [Consult your local authority on "halakha."] CHEESE Although cheeses are dairy, some cheeses are not kosher if they are made with animal-origin rennet from a non-kosher animal. The Conservative movement has a broader definition of kosher cheeses. [Consult your local authority on "halakha."] PAREVE (neutral) Food Fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits and grains may be eaten with either milk or meat dishes. NOTE: Some communities do not permit fish and meat to be cooked together, and some do not permit fish and dairy to be cooked together. They may, however, be served at the same meal on separate dishes and with separate utensils. It is not the place of this FAQ to get into the details or reasons for these practices. Pareve (neutral) cooking oils such as vegetable oils and shortenings may be used with both milk and meat dishes. Flour, without dairy additives, is pareve. MISCELLANEOUS Most insects and other "creepy crawlies" are prohibited. Snails are, therefore, unkosher, and certain food additives or colorings made from insects are unkosher. One who keeps kosher also will exercise care in using products containing gelatin, which can be of animal origin. "What do these words mean?" A lot of Jewish/Yiddish or Hebrew terms (and their adaptations into English) are often used by posters. Here are some of the key ones. GLOSSARY Many Jewish/Yiddish or Hebrew terms (and their adaptations into English) are often used by posters. Here are some of the key terms. Ashkenazic/Ashkenazim: Refers to the Jews whose origins were in Eastern Europe, particularly Czarist Russia, Poland, Hungary, Rumania, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Germany. Blech: Metal; refers to a metal placed over the lit burners on a stove for use in warming or keeping foods warm during the Sabbath. Also known as a "platta." Brakha or bracha: A blessing. CYLAH: Consult your local authority on "halakha." Fleishig or fleishedik: Meat. Frum: Religious. Glatt: Means "smooth;" a particularly high standard of "kashruth." It can also be referred to as "mehadrin." Halakhic authority: A rabbi or rabbinical authority (by an individual or a religious group) trusted for making decisions in religious matters. Hekhsher: Indication on a food product that it has been processed under the supervision of a recognized Rabbinic authority. Kashruth, Kashrut, Kashrus: The body of Jewish dietary laws. Kashering or Koshering: These terms are used in reference to making utensils or a kitchen kosher. It also refers to the salting process used for meat (also known as "melikha)." Kosher: In keeping with the Jewish dietary laws. Kosher salt: Coarse salt used for koshering meat; i.e., drawing out the blood by soaking in salted cold water ("melikha"). Kosher salt can also be used in cooking. Mehadrin: See glatt, above. Melikha: From the Hebrew work for salt (melakh); the salting process for drawing blood from the meat. Milkhig or milikhdig: Dairy. Mitzvah: Commandments - things commanded by God to the Jews in the Torah. It has the colloquial meaning of "good deed." Pareve: Describes food which is neutral -- neither dairy or meat -- and which consequently can be used with either. Platta: Same as "blech." See above. Sephardic/Sephardim: Refers to the descendants of those Jews who lived in the Middle East since the post-Second Temple exile and those expelled from Spain and Portugal by the Spanish Inquisition during the late 15th Century. Many of the latter settled in North Africa and other countries of the Mediterranean Basin, the Baltics, France, Holland and England; eventually, also in the Americas. Shabbat or shabbos: The Jewish sabbath. Shekhita: Ritual slaughter, a method which is particularly humane, preventing undue suffering to the animal. Shokhet: A trained ritual slaughterer. Simkha or simcha: A celebration or happy occasion. Torah: The Bible. Treif or taref: Not kosher. Click for more information on kosher caterer |
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