"Kosher" refers to things that are ritually correct under Jewish law. Foods prepared according to strict guidelines and under the supervision of a rabbi are called kosher foods.
History
Rabbis developed the kosher food laws over thousands of years from the dietary restrictions given to the Israelites by God and recorded in the biblical books Leviticus and Deuteronomy.
Features
The preparation of kosher food follows strict, detailed guidelines. Kosher meat comes only from animals such as cattle and sheep that have cloven hooves and chew cud. It must be slaughtered by a carefully trained Jewish butcher before being salted and soaked to remove blood. Kosher poultry is prepared under the same guidelines. Kosher fish is any fish with fins and scales. Meat must not be served in the same meal, or even the same dish, as dairy products.
Considerations
Kosher cheese is made according to these strict guidelines. Cheese making involves a substance called rennet. Chiefly found in the stomach of young mammals such as calves that are still feeding on milk, rennet contains an enzyme that curdles milk. The curds are collected and formed into cheese. Kosher cheese must be made with rennet collected from kosher animals or from enzymes from nonanimal sources such as certain plants or microbes.
Tags: guidelines Kosher, Kosher cheese, kosher food, strict guidelines