Jewish gastronomy, unlike many other cuisines in the world, is subject to a strict set of religious rules. All dishes are prepared in accordance with kashrut - the requirements of Halakha, Jewish Law. Thus, according to the law, it is strictly prohibited to combine meat and dairy products, to consume pork, camel meat, hyrax and hare meat, as well as insects, amphibians and reptiles. Only ruminants and artiodactyls - cows, goats, sheep, giraffes, moose - are considered kosher. It is allowed to eat poultry meat - geese, chickens, turkeys, quails, ducks. Animals are also slaughtered according to special rules. As for fish, it is not considered meat; Kosher fish must have scales and fins.
Before cooking, products are carefully inspected and washed. They must not have any defects.
It is also worth noting that traditional Jewish cuisine is divided into Ashkenazi and Sephardic. Jews living in Europe adhere to the traditions of the first, while Jews living in the Middle East adhere to the second.
Let's look at it a little closer...
An ancient culture with its traditions and rules holds this people scattered throughout the world in a single integrity stronger than any borders. The persecuted nation would have been wiped off the face of the earth long ago if the voices of the ancestors, heard in the everyday way of life, recipes, blessings before meals, sacred holidays and customs, did not tell about the history and morals of their native people, did not care about the unity and health of their children. We, the children of modern civilization with its chaotic way of life and rhythm, can only marvel at the strength and vitality of the traditions of this amazing people, imbued with a feeling of deep respect for a rational and life-loving culture.
Looking at the Jewish calendar, an unprepared person will simply be confused. Months of the year whose names and durations differ only slightly in different countries world, among the Jews they correspond to the movement of the Moon and are called completely differently. But the most interesting thing is the holidays, with their changing dates, features and traditions, so different from those to which we are accustomed: New Year(or Birthday) of trees, Royal Saturday, Feast of Tabernacles (booths), Hanukkah - the holiday of light, Judgment Day, the “milk” holiday of the year Shavuot, and only Easter - Passover resonates in the soul with a feeling of joyful participation. In Jewish cuisine, each holiday has its own scenario, its own rules and prohibitions, and its own special menu. The dishes placed on the table can tell you what time of year, day of the week or holiday it is. An abundance of pancakes and buttery donuts will indicate the winter holiday of Hanukkah, and sweet triangular pies with poppy seeds or jam will tell about the onset of the bright and cheerful holiday of Purim, which marks the beginning of spring.
The spiritual content of a meal is determined not by how varied and plentiful it is, but at what time, from what products, for what occasion it is prepared. After all, according to the Torah, the holy book of the Jewish people, food is the first step in the process of ennobling a person. Eating only for the sake of satiety or pleasure is considered the lowest level of behavior, because food primarily carries spiritual power, it must be taken correctly, not forgetting to bless and thank God. Therefore, preparing food is equated to a sacred rite.
For example, a common everyday activity is baking kosher bread. A small piece is separated from the dough prepared according to my grandmother’s recipe and thrown into the fire. In ancient times, this “bread gift” - challah - was taken to the priests as an offering instead of fire, and later the custom was transformed into the sacrifice of bread to fire. Separating the challah is considered the honorable responsibility of the hostess. To this day, in Israel and beyond, Jewish women who follow the traditions national cuisine, strictly fulfill this ancient commandment.
Israeli cuisine unique and diverse, its history is inseparable from the history of the people themselves. This cuisine is based on recipes with a predominance of grain crops, because the ancient Jewish people were farmers. They ate mainly fruits, grains and legumes. Generous fertile soils provided rich harvests for both people and livestock. Dairy products, eggs, a little meat (animals were more needed on the farm than on the table), fish on holidays, a variety of flour and vegetable dishes, a few spices so as not to disturb the taste of the dish, honey, nuts, fruits - this is an approximate diet in those days old times.
But the history of the Jewish people is full of tragic twists and turns. With forced resettlement from their homes to other countries, adaptation to new products and culinary traditions Jewish cuisine also changed. It changed, but did not disappear, and like a sponge it absorbed local culinary characteristics and flavor. Natural and inevitable mutual influence of cultures different nations brought its wonderful fruits. This is how meat goulash soup, loved by Jews from Hungary, appeared, strudel with dried fruits - a gift from Jews from Austria, falafel - the famous pea “fast food”, which is lovingly prepared in the countries of the Middle East, and many, many more recipes that came from other countries and ingrained in Jewish “cookbooks.”
The cooking traditions of the Jewish people have developed their own favorite techniques and features, sometimes dictated by the conditions of the area of residence, sometimes by religious rules and customs. Jewish cuisine is characterized by simple but lengthy heat treatment: boiling, stewing with water and under a lid; baking in the oven is less commonly used. As a result of many hours of heat treatment, traditional tzimmes, cholents, thick rich broths are obtained, always with huge matzo dumplings - kneidlach, stewed sweet and sour meat - these are all dishes in which the constituent ingredients are simmered and boiled for a long time, soaked in the aroma of spices and turning into a homogeneous , a delicate mass with a new taste.
Egg dishes are very popular in Jewish cuisine: boiled, raw, fried. Whipped egg filling is used to prepare kugels from matzo, fish, and vegetables. Yolks are added to unleavened dough, and snacks and salads are prepared from hard-boiled and chopped eggs.
Fish dishes is a whole separate area of the culinary art of the Jewish people. Stuffed whole or in pieces, boiled in broth or baked, fish cutlets, jelly, forshmak are the most beloved and widespread dishes of national cuisine, known all over the world. On festive table the fish acquires additional symbolic meaning - laid out whole with its head on a dish, it symbolizes wisdom and integrity of life.
Mandatory components of almost all dishes, but only in limited quantities, are spices: anise, nutmeg, dill, black pepper. They are added for taste, appetite, good digestion, and for longer preservation of food. An old Jewish proverb says: “Food without spices has no benefit or joy.” Also to improve taste qualities soups, broths, fish and meat dishes use spicy vegetables: celery and parsley root, onion, garlic, etc.
The most main feature, without which all Jewish cuisine simply would not exist, is compliance with the basic religious rules of selection and preparation of products - the rules of Kashrut. No matter where the representatives of this people find themselves, the basis of knowledge household and cooking for them, religious laws of nutrition have always remained. Jews eat only “suitable” kosher food, that is, that which is prepared in accordance with the laws of Kashrut.
Rules of Kashrut
Contrary to popular belief, rabbis and other Jewish religious leaders do not participate in the preparation of kosher food, or rather, they may participate, but this is not a determining factor. A dish will be considered kosher if the following simple but mandatory rules are followed during its preparation:
- It is allowed to eat meat only from herbivores: large cattle, sheep, goats, as well as meat from wild animals such as deer and roe deer. It is believed that the closer the animal is to flora, the less aggression it conveys to a person and the less animal instincts appear in him. Thus, the meat of carnivores, as well as pigs, is prohibited. The same provision applies to birds, only in addition to birds of prey, songbirds and exotic ones are also prohibited.
- Only those fish species that have scales and fins are considered kosher. Catfish, sturgeon, sterlet, eel, beluga, etc. are prohibited from being eaten, since their scales cannot be separated from the skin. Other inhabitants of water bodies are also considered non-kosher: shellfish, crab, squid, shrimp, etc.
- All parts of prohibited animals, birds and fish are also considered non-kosher (for example, black caviar is prohibited because it comes from non-kosher fish).
- Animals and birds intended for food must be killed in accordance with “shechita” - Jewish rules of slaughter, i.e. very quickly, painlessly, by specially trained people. These restrictions do not apply to permitted fish.
- The Torah categorically prohibits eating any blood, believing that blood contains the soul of an animal or bird. Therefore, if you bought fresh or frozen meat, and the package says “lo mukshar”, which means “not kosher”, then you must remove all the blood from it. To do this, you need to immerse well-washed pieces of meat in water for several hours (no more than a day), then let the water drain, salt the meat and throw it on an inclined plane for another hour, then the remaining blood will drain and the meat will be koshered. If the eggs of permitted birds contain even a drop of blood, they cannot be eaten, so it is better to break the egg into a glass glass before use to avoid spoilage of the entire dish. The liver of kosher animals and birds is bled only by roasting.
- All types of insects are prohibited from being eaten. Therefore, Jewish housewives pay great attention to the pre-processing of products, carefully sorting out cereals, sifting flour, and inspecting vegetables, fruits and herbs for bugs and caterpillars. It is recommended to soak the greens in a weak solution of salt or vinegar, and then rinse thoroughly.
- All food, in accordance with the rules of Kashrut, is divided into meat, dairy and neutral, “parve”. It is strictly forbidden to both consume and cook dairy and meat foods at the same time. This applies not only to meat and milk itself, but also to animal products, for example, animal fat or butter, cheese, cottage cheese, etc. Dairy food intake should be separated from meat food intake by at least 6 hours, if meat food is taken after milk, then a difference of 1 hour between doses is enough. The exception is hard cheese, after which the interval should also be at least 6 hours. Fish, eggs, and all plant products belong to “parva” and can be combined with both meat and dairy products. This division concerns not only the products themselves, but also the dishes in which they are prepared. Cutting boards, frying pans, knives, pots and plates for meat should never be mixed or used for dairy. Such dishes also need to be washed separately. If by chance products containing meat come into contact with dairy dishes, such dishes need to be koshered: boiled or calcined.
- During the celebration of Passover (Easter), Kashrut prohibits eating “chametz” - dishes using any leaven (yeast bread, beer, vinegar, etc.). Instead of bread, they prepare “matzo” - thin flatbreads that are kneaded and baked in a very short time so that the dough does not have time to sour.
- Wine, unless produced by a Jew, is considered a non-kosher product.
- All other products, unless they contain food additives, are allowed.
No country in the world has such strict restrictions on the consumption of certain foods as in Israel. The conversation will be about whether Jews eat pork, what kind of poultry and fish can be eaten in the Holy Land.
How meat came to be banned
There are several stories and versions of why Jews do not eat pork. The first and main reason for the ban is religious, which is also legislative. The Torah and Koran state that Jews (Jews) and Muslims (Arabs) cannot eat pork.
A more correct version is associated with the term "kashrut" in Judaism. This word means the permissibility of something on the basis of Halakha (a kind of set of religious and legal guidelines for Jewish believers contained in the holy scripture of the Torah).
It is the rules of kashrut that are determined for the Israeli people. Let's take a closer look at what kind of meat Jews eat, and what is strictly prohibited for them.
Animal meat
It is allowed to eat meat only from animals that eat grass and have “paired” hooves. These are elk, deer, goats, sheep, cows.
In nature, there are several species of animals that meet only one of the above requirements: pigs, horses, hares, camels, hyraxes. It is prohibited to eat their meat. Pigs and camels are artiodactyls, but not ruminants. Hares with hyraxes chew grass, but their legs do not fork. This is why Jews cannot eat pork, camels or rabbits. But the restrictions don't end there.
For meat to be considered legal, the animal must be slaughtered in accordance with certain rules. For example, it should not experience pain and suffering, and the meat should not contain blood. Such a delicate and responsible mission is entrusted only to specialists. After slaughter, the meat is placed in water to soak, then salted, placed on wire racks to drain off any remaining blood, and washed thoroughly after an hour.
There are several more nuances regarding what meat Jews do not eat. For example, they will never cook for you animals that were sick or died of natural causes - you don’t have to worry about that. The liver of kosher animals is cooked only over an open fire: boiling and frying are prohibited. And such “delicacies” as perigastric fat or meat with the sciatic nerves not removed cannot be eaten at all in Israel.
Poultry meat
Similarly with birds, Jews eat only domesticated duck, chicken, quail, pigeon, goose, and turkey. Eating their eggs is also allowed.
The main sign of a kosher egg is its pointed and rounded tips. It is forbidden to eat bird eggs with identical tips (blunt or sharp on both sides), because they belong to a scavenger or a bird of prey.
Seafood
The reason why Jews do not eat all seafood is the same kashrut. According to its laws, “allowed” fish include fish that must have scales and fins. The scales should be easily separated from the body when running a fingernail over them. Non-kosher fish species in Israel include river eels, sturgeon and sharks, predatory European anglerfish and catfish.
According to this distribution, in Israel you can eat red salmon caviar, but not black sturgeon.This is why Jews also do not eat shrimp, lobster, oysters, crayfish, squid, crab, lobster and octopus. These representatives of the sea simply do not have fins with scales.
Now it is clear why Jews do not eat pork, rabbit meat, some birds and sea creatures. But once in Israel, a tourist needs to know another important tradition.
Kosher laws prohibit the consumption of meat and dairy products at the same time. It is believed that this is harmful to spiritual health, so they are not served together on the same table and are not found in the same recipe. After meat milk product It is allowed to eat only after 6 hours. And the dishes in which dairy and meat dishes are prepared should be different and stored in separate cabinets. Wealthy Jewish families even have separate kitchens for this purpose.
Currently, many people who are not Jewish by nationality, but care about their health, have become addicted to eating only kosher food. The main reason for this for many of them is not religious beliefs at all, but the fact that this kind of product is environmentally friendly and healthier.
Such nutrition is based on the laws of kosher, or kashrut, which meet the rules and norms of Judaism. Of course, people striving for healthy eating, are not particularly interested in these rules, because for them the most important thing is the quality of the products subject to it. After all, the word “kosher” means, translated from Hebrew, “suitable”. A special sign is placed on all products as confirmation of high environmental friendliness and usefulness. Naturally, the cost of the products from which kosher food is prepared is much higher.
Main principles of kashrut
- Meat consumed as food should only come from certain species of artiodactyl ruminants. Lamb, beef, goat, venison, and elk are allowed. The most famous of the forbidden (unclean) animals is the pig. According to these rules, the rabbit is also a non-kosher animal.
- All poultry are “clean” - turkey, chicken, duck, goose. The list of prohibited birds is listed in the Torah in the book Vayikra, among which are all predatory species.
- Animals are slaughtered using a special technology, and then the meat used for preparing kosher food is pre-processed in compliance with certain rules.
- Allowed fish must be non-predatory, have scales and fins. Shellfish and crustaceans are prohibited. Unlike meat, fish does not undergo special pre-treatment when preparing dishes.
- Products from “unclean” animals are also prohibited, for example, since the camel is a non-kosher animal. The only exception is honey, although it is the result of the vital activity of bees, which are insects.
- Meat and dairy foods should not be mixed during cooking. For this reason, even cookware should be separately designed for these product categories. There is no ban on fish and dairy dishes.
- According to Jewish tradition, insects, reptiles and amphibians should not be eaten.
- All fruits, vegetables, berries, mushrooms are
- You can consume milk no earlier than three to five hours after meat, as digestion requires a certain time. At the same time, meat dishes can be eaten immediately after dairy dishes, just rinse your mouth. Kosher food should not consist of both fish and meat.
Features of slaughtering animals, birds and pre-processing of meat
Not all meat from kosher animals is permitted. Prohibited:
Meat of those who died a natural death or were ill before slaughter;
Animals killed by hunting or other animals;
Parts of the carcass that contain greasy fat;
Meat that contains blood.
Animal slaughter, carcass processing, and inspection are carried out by specialists, which guarantees the “purity” of the meat.
To summarize, we can say that kosher food means obligatory adherence to certain rules and procedures for preparing dishes. Jewish culinary traditions are the strictest of all, which is why kosher foods are mainly sold in Israeli markets. But, oddly enough, residents of other nationalities and religions also eat dishes prepared from “clean” goods. After all proper nutrition- the key to the health of all people.
Perhaps it would never even occur to a blood-born Jew to ask the question of why Jews should not eat pork. This question, apparently, is of great concern to representatives of the Slavic nations. They are sincerely worried that Jews do not know the taste of lard - the greatest delicacy and “Ukrainian Snickers” at the same time. And there is no way to bring them to reason. So why don't Jews eat pork?
A number of reasons are usually given, and among them the most common are religious and medical. Sometimes it is enough to say that this is a tradition, and some prohibition is accepted as an axiom: it is impossible - it means it is impossible. But I want to delve into the origins to find out where this law comes from.
What is written in the Torah
It is known that God gave the ancient Israelites a Covenant Law that not only gave specific instructions regarding worship, but also regulated almost every area of life. This included bans on eating certain animals. They were called unclean.
It is better to quote directly from there rather than paraphrase in your own words. So in the book of Leviticus, chapter 11, verse 3, it says, “You may eat every creature among the living creatures that has a cloven hoof and a cleft in the hoof and that chews the cud.” The most important thing is that these two requirements had to be fulfilled simultaneously. Therefore, below in the same chapter is a list of exceptions. It includes the camel, hyrax, hare (they chew the cud, but do not have a cloven hoof) and the pig (it has the opposite: a cloven hoof, but is not a herbivore). Further, it is strictly forbidden not only to eat, but also to touch these animals.
Is the ban reasonable?
What harm there was from eating pork is not explained in the Bible. But it may shed some light on this modern science. For example, the ancient Jews may not have understood why the same Law prohibited touching the dead, and if this happened, then the person had to thoroughly wash himself and wash his clothes. It was only at the end of the 19th century that the branch of medicine known as antiseptics emerged and scientists discovered that most diseases are transmitted through germs on unwashed hands.
Therefore, the answer to the question of why Jews still do not eat pork also has scientific confirmation.
Medical aspect
Perhaps classifying a pig as an unclean animal hurts its self-esteem (this is, of course, a joke), but such a statement has a scientific grain. Especially if you evaluate the way of life of a cute piggy and its ability to find food in any dirt (well, this is not a fastidious animal, what can you do), then everything becomes clear.
In this case, even heat treatment does not help. The only thing that will protect you from this disease is pre-freezing fresh meat. In times especially in the hot desert climate, this was impossible. This could be one of the reasons why God forbade eating pork.
There is even an expression: “dirty as a pig.” Well, you can’t erase the words from the song.
True, the entire Mosaic Law has long been abolished by Christ (as evidenced by the entire " New Testament"), and all the prohibitions and regulations are a thing of the past for Christians. But the catch is this: most Jews are still waiting for the Messiah, since they did not accept Jesus, and therefore to this day they adhere to many instructions from the Torah, for example, circumcising boys etc. Naturally, they sacredly honor the prohibition regarding animals; it seems to be written into the subcortex of every Jew.
Ram vs pig
But the Torah is the Torah, and any tradition needs to be supported by an appropriate legend. And it was also created for a pig.
So, it was in Jerusalem during the siege by General Titus. The Roman troops could not take the city, even despite the famine, the Jews fought back. And all because every day a young lamb was sacrificed. Soon they all ended. Then the Jews agreed with the Romans that every day they would lower a whole basket of gold on a rope from the walls of the city, and in return they would give them a lamb. So the siege lasted for several years. But one day the traitor told Titus about everything, and he substituted a pig, literally and figuratively, instead of a lamb. And that’s it, the city instantly fell.
So this is why Jews still do not eat pork, because this is the meat of the animal for which their people were taken into exile. This is such a fairy tale.
Why Muslims can’t eat pork: history
They have their own background. The main reason is the canons of Islam. This strictest prohibition is mentioned four times in the Koran, and for Muslims the number 4 means. For example, in Surah No. 6, pork is called “filthy” and “wickedness.”
Of course, compared to Judaism, where it was forbidden to eat many animals, birds and fish, as well as any meat with blood, in Islam we are talking only about pork. Although blood is also unacceptable for Muslims.
If for the ancient Israelites abstaining from pork meant physical purity, then in Islam the emphasis is on spiritual pollution in the case of eating this animal. Why? The Koran says that Allah turns idolaters into monkeys and pigs. That is, Muslims believe that pigs in the past were people, but there are others like themselves, and even cursed ones, at least inhumanely.
- Judaism has the term kashrut, which means the permissibility or suitability of something according to the Torah. This word mainly refers to food (it is divided into kosher and treff). A similar term in Islam is “halal”.
- To be fair, it should be noted that a pig is cleaner than a dog. For example, she can remove fleas herself.
- They jokingly say that because of the ban on eating pork and drinking alcohol Ancient Rus' chose Orthodoxy over Islam.
There are exceptions to every rule
Why do Jews/Muslims eat pork despite the ban? Firstly, not everyone tries to strictly adhere to all the canons. Many of them themselves do not understand why Muslims and Jews cannot eat pork.
Secondly, not all Jews avoid pork, but only those who profess Judaism (a religious system based on And those who have become Christians most likely know the taste of lard. And thirdly, in the Koran, it is allowed to violate this prohibition if there is a threat to life. For example: except for pork, there is absolutely nothing to eat, even if you die of hunger, then a Muslim can eat this meat to save his life. In contrast to such a prohibition, in Judaism the law is about the unclean animals did not contain any compromises.
These are all the reasons why Jews do not eat pork, and Muslims agree with them.
