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Jewish Recipes --> Jewish Cooking Terms / Dictionary --> Treif

What does Keeping Kosher mean?

Without food we can't live. We all have heard the famous line, "Man does not live by bread alone..."

The verse comes from Torah [Bible] and is a reference to the miraculous manna, which fell from heaven daily during the Jewish people's sojourn in the wilderness. The conclusion of the verse is that "rather, by the utterance of God's mouth does man live." Thus, it is reminding us about the true source of human sustenance and where it comes from.

What Kosher is NOT:

The modern World has often thought the "laws of kosher" were based on hygiene. It was believed by some that kosher animals were healthier to eat than non-kosher animals. It was also noted that the laws of purity (Leviticus 11-15) not only describe the difference between clean and unclean animals, but also describe other phenomena related to health. Thus, it was natural for many to assume that all the laws of kashrut were merely hygienic in intent and origin. Also wrong is the belief that kosher means blessed by a Rabbi.

What make something un-Kosher?

Food may be designated non-kosher for a several of reasons. They include the species involved (for example; pig and fish without scales and fins) the manner in which the food was processed (animal improperly slaughtered, or the mixing of milk and meat); or time (leavened product not properly disposed of prior to Passover or food cooked on the Sabbath).

You are what you eat and the spiritual connection between man and God.

What Kosher is: Basically, Dietary laws or rules

Rules such as do not mix milk and meat to which animals you can eat. There is nothing intrinsically wicked about eating pork or lobster, and there is nothing intrinsically moral about eating cheese or chicken instead. But what the Jewish way of life does by imposing rules on our eating, sleeping, and working habits is to take the most common and mundane activities and invest them with deeper meaning, turning every one of them into an occasion for obeying (or disobeying) God.

Kosher Kitchen - Separating Dishes

Dishes and cooking utensils must be sorted and stored in separate areas according to Meat, Dairy and Parve. A color scheme is very helpful: Meat - Red, Dairy - Blue, and Parve - Green. Some kosher kitchen have two sides: a Meat side and a Dairy side. [read more]

Kosher Symbols

If you see any of the symbols that are represented, it means "the food has been inspected by one of the many kosher certifying agencies in the United States. Each agency identifies itself by its own unique symbol."

Kosher Symbols List with Pictures

Types of foods




Once killed, the animal is opened to determine whether there are any irregularities or growths (i.e. cancer), on its internal organs, some of which can render the animal non-kosher. The term "Glatt" kosher means strictly kosher where the glatt (lungs) are carefully examined for adhesions (i.e. cancer). The word treif -- derived from the Hebrew treifah, meaning "torn" -- originally referred to animals which had been killed by wild beasts therefore were not fit for human consumption.




No mixing of meat and dairy




Kosher Wine ~ Here is a list of the laws.
# No wine may be produced from a vine until its fourth year.
# The vineyard, if within the biblical lands, must be left fallow every seven years.
# Only vines may be grown in vineyards.
# From arrival at the winery, the grapes and resulting wine may only be handled by strictly Sabbath-observing Jews, and only 100 per cent kosher materials may be used in the wine-making, maturation, and bottling processes.

*The fourth law applies only to those who handle the must or the wine itself.

What makes beer kosher?



Canned and frozen foods


Grains and cereals


Grains and cereals during Passover


An Orthodox discussion of the kitniot controversy

An Israeli Conservative discussion of the kitniot controversy

Rabbinical Assembly Passover guide








Is Honey Kosher?




Fish and Seafood


Seaweed and other sea plant life are all kosher.






In addition, some Jews follow a more or less vegetarian diet for pragmatic reasons, if kosher meat is expensive or hard to come by in their area.

Kashrut and animal welfare




Theories on the origin of the Biblical dietary laws



The symbolic laws hypothesis

During the first few centuries of the common era some non-Jewish philosophers held that the laws of kashrut were symbolic in character. In this view, kosher animals represent virtues, while non-kosher animals represent vices. The first indication of this view can be found in the 1st century BCE Letter of Aristeas (par. 145-148, 153). This view later reappears in the writings of Philo of Alexandria, and in the writings of some of the early Church fathers. This hypothesis has long since been rejected by Rabbis. Modern biblical criticism also has found nothing to support this hypothesis.

The laws as statutes without explanation or reason



Laws serve as a religious and social distinction


The Biblical explanation: Distinctions lead to holiness


How kashrut is viewed by Judaism today


Linguistic usage

In English, the term kosher is frequently used in a metaphorical sense to mean "acceptable" or "approved", which is its conventional meaning in Hebrew. It is also part of some common product names. For example, "kosher salt" is a form of salt which has large crystals, making it particularly suitable for preparing meat in accordance with Kashrut law, i.e. removing as much blood as possible. (Thus a more accurate name would have been "koshering salt.") And a "kosher pickle" is a particular style of pickle that originated in kosher delis.

Other Jewish topics on food:
