Kosher slaughter, or shechita, is a method of preparing meat according to Jewish dietary laws. It involves selecting fit animals, slaughtering them with a clean cut across the throat, and examining their internal organs for signs of disease. The meat is then stripped of all blood vessels and soaked in water or cured with salt to remove any remaining blood. Porging, the removal of blood vessels, fat, and organs and tendons, is a difficult procedure. Kosher foods are more expensive due to the complexity of the guidelines and the smaller amount of meat obtained per animal.
Kosher slaughter, also known as shechita, is a method of slaughtering an animal and preparing its meat according to kashrut, the set of Jewish dietary laws. These laws include the selection of animals considered fit for consumption, the way they are slaughtered and the way the meats are to be cut and prepared. Due to the complexity of the guidelines, kosher butchering requires a lot of skill and practice. Kosher foods are relatively more expensive than routinely slaughtered meats due to both the difficulty of the slaughter and the smaller amount of meat obtained per animal. The practice of kosher butchering is typically limited to followers of Orthodox Judaism, although individuals of other branches of the faith may choose to follow these guidelines.
Kashrut imposes numerous rules on what types of animals can be eaten, especially what qualifications land animals must have cloven hooves and chew their own breeding if they are to be considered kosher. Animals must be in good health before being slaughtered; otherwise, the meat is considered “dirty” and cannot be eaten. Wounded animals, including those stunned by electric shock or gas, cannot be used for kosher slaughter. A kosher, or shochet, butcher should take great care in selecting animals for slaughter and ensure they fall into kashrut compliance.
Kosher butcher rules require that the animal must be killed with a clean cut across the throat and left to bleed to death. The blade used for slaughtering must not be made of earthed materials and must meet specific length and quality requirements. Butchers should sever the carotid arteries, jugular veins, and water horns of the animal in the cut.
Once the animal expires and is drained of blood, the butcher must then examine its internal organs for signs of damage or disease. Any sign that the animal was not in perfect health makes it treif, or non-kosher. If the animal is confirmed as kosher, the butcher must offer its cheeks, front legs and fourth stomach to the animal’s owner. Kosher slaughter therefore involves stripping the animal’s carcass of all blood vessels and either soaking the remaining meat in water or curing it with salt to remove any remaining blood.
One of the more difficult kosher slaughter procedures, porging, involves the removal of blood vessels, some types of fat, and organs and tendons. Many butchers choose to discard the hind parts of the animal, as the forbidden fats in these areas, as well as the forbidden sciatic nerve, are difficult to remove. Once all of these requirements are met, the remaining meat can be cut up and sold as a kosher groceries.
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