Kosher foods follow Jewish dietary laws, including strict rules for milk and dairy products. There are different opinions on what makes milk kosher, and utensils used for meat cannot be used for dairy. Waiting periods between meat and dairy consumption also apply. Kosher symbols on packaging can help identify kosher foods.
Kosher foods are products that have been processed and prepared according to the strict dietary rules of the Jewish religion. In the case of kosher milk and other kosher dairy products such as cheese, they must come from kosher animals. Today, there are different schools of thought about which dairy products should be labeled kosher. The first point of view is the stricter and more traditional way, according to which kosher milk comes directly from the dairy cow. Another opinion states that every stage of the milk-making process was supervised and adhered to rabbinic laws. Yet another school of thought argues that government oversight, such as that of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States, is sufficient.
Adhering to kosher rules means that kosher milk and dairy products cannot be prepared using the same utensils or pots or pans that were used to prepare meat dishes. There is also a time constraint regarding the distance between the two types of foods that can be consumed. There are also calculations provided to determine whether a product, such as kosher milk, will still be considered kosher if additives, such as vitamins, are included in the product. Consumers other than persons of the Jewish faith may also purchase kosher milk and kosher food. Vegetarians, for example, can buy kosher milk and make sure it doesn’t contain meat, meat products or additives.
Jewish laws regulate not only kosher milk and kosher meat products, but also when these products may be consumed. The amount of time after eating one and before eating the other varies by location, in general, but there are some guidelines. Eating dairy products, for example, requires a shorter wait before meat can be consumed. A meal that contains meat requires a longer waiting period before you can consume milk.
People who want to “keep kosher,” or adhere to kosher cooking and the kosher diet, will likely find that the most difficult aspects are determining which items in their groceries are actually kosher. There are packaging symbols that proclaim the kosher status of foods, but there are a number of different symbols created by different agencies. The hardest part for many home cooks unaccustomed to kosher laws is learning how to keep milk and meat products separate.
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