Passover kosher foods are those eatables that conform to the rules of the festival. Read on to know more about kosher foods in Pesach.
Passover Kosher
Kosher foods are those eatables that conform to the rules of the Jewish religion and thus, are to be consumed during the Passover week. It is these rules that form the central theme of Kashrut, Jewish dietary laws. The reason why some foods are branded as non-Kosher is that they include certain ingredients that are derived from non-Kosher animals or from kosher animals that were not properly slaughtered. The use of produce from Israel that has not been tithed and the use of cooking utensils earlier used to cook non-kosher foods are also prohibited. Read on to know more about the general rules of kosher foods in Pesach.
Passover Kosher Foods
Many of the laws of Kashrut in Judaism are associated with animal consumption. The Torah (first three parts of the Hebrew bible) states the animals that are permitted or forbidden during the Passover week. There are no general rules with regard to birds. However, the Deuteronomic Code and Priestly Code list some prohibited birds, including the birds of prey, such as fish-eating water birds and the bat. The rule for water creatures says that anything residing in water is ritually clean, provided it has both fins and scales. All flying creeping things are also to be considered ritually unclean, with the exception of some frying creatures, according to Leviticus.
As regards the land animals, Deuteronomy (fifth book of the Hebrew Bible) and Leviticus (third book of the Hebrew Bible) lay down that anything that chews the cud and has a cloven hoof would be ritually clean. The only cud-chewing animals or those with only cloven hooves that are considered to be unclean include the four animals - hare, hyrax, camel, and pig. It has also been stated by Leviticus that every creeping thing, which only creeps upon the earth, should be considered as 'filthy'. However, Deuteronomy doesn't make any such reference to the creeping creatures of earth.
Some General Kosher Rules
- Certain animals should not be eaten at all. This restriction includes the flesh, organs, eggs and milk of the forbidden animals.
- Of the animals that are permitted to be consumed, the birds and mammals must be killed in accordance with the Jewish law.
- All blood must be drained from meat and poultry or broiled out of it, before its intake.
- Certain parts of permitted animals may not be eaten.
- Fruits and vegetables are allowed by Jewish rules, but must be inspected for bugs (which cannot be eaten).
- Meat (the flesh of birds and mammals) cannot be eaten with dairy. Fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables and grains can be eaten with either meat or dairy. (According to some views, fish may not be eaten with meat).
- Utensils (including pots, pans and other cooking surfaces) that have come into contact with meat may not be used with dairy, and vice versa.
- Utensils that have come into contact with non-kosher food should not be used with kosher food. This applies only where the contact occurred when the food was hot.
- Grape products made by non-Jews should not be eaten.
