You Know All The Dietary Taboos In Judaism: What You Can And Cannot Eat, And You Also Need To Pay Attention To The Use Of Tableware.

When talking about Jewish food customs, the most impressive thing is the strict food prohibitions.

This is not just about what to eat, it is also a reflection of the practice of faith and the identity of life that goes deep into the bone marrow.

According to the records in Leviticus and Deuteronomy in the Old Testament of the Bible, food is clearly divided into two categories: clean and unclean. This set of rules is called kashrut, which is the Jewish dietary law. It is still strictly observed by devout Jews all over the world.

Clean and Unclean in the Bible

The Bible's rules are very specific.

When it comes to mammals, only animals that eat cloven hooves and chew cud are allowed, such as the cows, sheep, and deer we usually see.

Furthermore, since pigs, rabbits, horses, and camels do not meet one or two of the conditions, they are considered unclean and are strictly prohibited from eating.

Even if an animal can be used for food, if it dies due to abnormal reasons such as old age or illness, then its meat will be unclean.

Interestingly, the Bible’s Book of Genesis records that the ancestor Jacob injured his hamstring after wrestling with an angel. Therefore, when the Jews were processing beef and mutton, they would specifically select out the hamstrings and not eat them as a commemoration.

In addition, all bloody foods and subperitoneal fats and oils are prohibited.

Stringent standards for aquatic animals

The rules are equally detailed for life in the water.

Only if both fin and scale The fish is clean and edible.

This shows that creatures such as eels, shrimps, lobsters, clams, and crabs that do not have scales or have shells are all classified as unclean things.

Such regulations largely influenced the traditional Jewish ghetto diet, which resulted in a structure in which specific fish and poultry were the main source of protein.

At the same time, birds and insects that rely on scavengers are also excluded from the menu.

Ritual Slaughter: The Sacred Process

Even if the animal itself is kosher, the process of obtaining its meat must comply with Shariah.

This relies on a set of ancient and rigorous procedures—— ritual slaughtering method .

The person who comes to perform the slaughter must be a specially trained butcher who has passed the examination and is registered. This profession, in many Jewish communities, is passed down from father to son from generation to generation.

When slaughtering, it is necessary to meet the requirement of killing the animal with one knife. Use a sharp butcher knife to cut off the animal's neck directly, so that it can quickly lose blood and reduce the pain it endures as much as possible.

There should be no gaps on the knife, and there should be no unnecessary movements such as stabbing or picking.

The whole process must have Slaughter Patroller Supervise the inspection.

After being slaughtered, the meat must go through a soaking process, followed by salting to remove residual blood, and finally packaged by inspectors so that it can enter the market as "clean food."

You can’t have both milk and meat

In addition to the ingredients themselves, Jewish dietary laws also have strict rules about the mixing of foods.

The most famous one is "You cannot cook a goat in its mother's milk." This leads to the conclusion that dairy products and meat products must not be eaten in the same meal, or even mixed in cooking.

In view of this, devout Jewish families often prepare two separate sets of tableware, two separate sets of kitchen utensils, and two separate sets of sinks, one of which is dedicated to meat-related matters and the other to dairy-related matters.

The two sets of cutlery must be kept separate from cleaning to storage to prevent confusion.

Some families who follow strict rules will wait several hours after eating meat before eating dairy products.

From traditional meals to modern Israeli tables

In tradition, bread is the main food of the Jews and is regarded as the life-sustaining thread. Therefore, when eating bread, it is taboo to cut it with a knife, but to break it open with your hands.

As times change, especially Israel After the founding of the People's Republic of China, food culture also developed through integration.

With a variety of fresh salads, cheese, eggs and olives, the famous modern Israeli breakfast is extremely rich.

Hummus sauce originated from the Middle East. This kind of sauce made from chickpeas as the main raw material, as well as related foods made from sesame sauce, have become foods that often appear on the table of every household when eating.

Also common on the streets Kebabs and Kaibaba (a spiced meatloaf) and other popular dishes.

The core of culture and beliefs behind dietary taboos

These seemingly onerous dietary regulations have much more than health or hygiene considerations at their core.

First, they belong to a kind of religious obligation that the Jews exhibited when they entered into a covenant with God. They are an expression of piety and an outward sign of obedience.

Secondly, it created a strong sense of group identity and boundaries, brought the Jewish community together through daily eating behaviors, and helped maintain the uniqueness of the nation during the process of the diaspora.

In the end, it also shows respect for life. Whether it is the ritual slaughter method that focuses on reducing animal suffering or the taboo on blood that symbolizes life, it all contains ancient ethical concepts.

Jewish food customs, starting from ancient scriptures and developing through modern kitchen practices, are like a living cultural code.

It has strict characteristics, but it has shaped a unique and tough lifestyle. It is specific to a meal, but it is connected to grand beliefs and history.

To understand these "taboos" is to understand a profound yet everyday dimension in the construction of Jewish identity.

To a layman, this may seem like a complicated set of rules; as a practitioner, it is a review of faith three times a day, a sense of sacredness integrated into daily life.