Find any Jewish celebration, and you are bound to find wonderful food to accompany it. Some foods are prepared in a traditional style, all of which goes back to certain Scriptures that call for that preparation.
For instance, the prohibition of making fire on the Sabbath has led to the use of slow cooking stews in many times of Jewish cuisine. The Jewish people have long held their traditions firmly in place while learning to savor many of the same foods as their gentile neighbors.
In ancient times, certain foods were considered more desirable than others. Those includes legumes, wild plants, wheat, barley, olives, dates, pomegranate, figs, grapes, and mutton. Today, these foods are still popular additions to the Jewish plate, but other foods have crept in as well, depending upon the area in which a Jewish person was raised.
Bagels, Knishes, and Borscht are all foods that were eaten by Jewish people in Europe and Russia. The people there were often very poor, and the foods reflect a simple style. In the United States, some Jewish staples include Matzah balls, gefilte fish, falfalel, and hummus.
Kashrut is the rule of Jewish law that says what can and cannot be eaten. Animals with cloven hooves and those that chew their cud are forbidden, and those animals that are allowed for eating must be slaughtered and prepared in the kosher way. All blood must be drained, and certain parts of the animal are not suitable for eating. All fruits and vegetables must be examined carefully for bugs, as bugs are not allowed to be eaten.
Meat, including the flesh of both animals and birds, cannot be eaten with dairy products. Even utensils that have been used in meat products cannot then be used in dairy products. There must be at least six hours between the consumption of dairy products and meat products, though some prefer to rinse the mouth with water and eat a piece of neutral bread to stand in for the waiting period.
Anything that has fins and scales can be eaten, but shellfish cannot. Since wine was often used in pagan rituals, grape products that are not created by Jews are deemed inappropriate. This also includes baking powders made with cream of tartar, which is a leavening created as a by-product of the wine-making process.
Keeping kosher can be a difficult thing to do, so many Jews compromise. They might keep kosher at home, but relax their standards when they are in a restaurant. Some adhere to kosher rules when ordering from a menu. Still, others stay very traditional and don’t order foods unless they are prepared in a kosher restaurant, while even that is not acceptable to those who stay the most traditional. In that case, most foods are made in the home, and only foods consumed in Jewish gatherings are permitted.
