What makes food kosher, and where is the best place to shop for kosher foods?
The Old Testament delineates which animals are considered kosher. Amongst land animals, the hoofs must be fully split and the animal must chew its cud, plus they must be ritually slaughtered according to specific rules. The blood is prohibited, and is removed through a soaking and salting process. Fish must have both fins and scales. All insects (with the exception of certain grasshoppers) and shellfish are forbidden. All fruits and vegetables are permitted, but must be free of all insects. There are additional laws, for example meat and dairy may not be cooked or consumed together. There are many kosher certification companies that exist staffed by trained and qualified rabbis, and they have varying standards of kosher supervision; kosher observers limit themselves to the certification companies that meet their standards. The most commonly found and accepted national certification companies are represented by the certification companies’ trademark symbols printed on the food product p
