Q: What can Jewish people eat
and not eat?
A: Food is considered “kosher” or not kosher based on the guidelines laid out in the Torah. According to Leviticus 11:3, the criteria for four-footed animals are that they must have divided hooves, entirely cloven feet, and chew the cud.That means sheep, goats and cattle are among the kosher meats, but pigs, horses and camels are not. Fish are okay as long as they have both fins and scales. (Leviticus 11:0)No other kind of seafood is allowed.
Most kinds of fowl commonly eaten in western cultures are kosher, including chicken, turkey, pheasant, duck, goose and quail. The biblical list of forbidden birds is essentially a list of scavengers and birds of prey. Eagles, hawks, vultures and the like are out.
Creatures which do not fit neatly into one of these categories are generally unkosher. Lizards, snakes, rodents, bats and most insects are not kosher. The only kosher insects are certain kinds of locust. (Remember John the Baptist!)
Another important dietary rule in rabbinic Judaism is that meat and dairy products may not be eaten together, so don’t offer you observant Jewish guest a cheeseburger. Where does this rule come from? The Bible never explicitly gives such a rule, but it is derived from an obscure verse in Deuteronomy which says not to boil a kid in its mother’s milk. (Deuteronomy 14:21).
The way an animal is slaughtered is also important. Blood must be carefully drained from the carcass. Anything found already dead is unclean.
The sciatic vein is removed in remembrance of Jacob's struggle with God (Gen 32:33)
Fruits and vegetables must be checked for unkosher grubs and insects.
During the week of Passover, there is another rule. During the Feast of Unleavened Bread, all traces of leaven must be removed from the home. Only flat, unleavened bread called matzo is allowed.
David Brown
AMF International
http://www.amfi.org