In our last post, we told you about how our vanilla fits in with the halal diet. This time, we're letting you know that our products are suitable for those who follow a kosher diet. Vanillabazaar, our company, is certified with KLBD, one of the biggest kosher certifying bodies in the world.
A kosher diet, for those who are not familiar with it, from an average's person's point of view, may describe kosher food as having been “blessed by a rabbi.” The word “kosher,” however, is Hebrew for “fit” or “appropriate” and describes the food that is suitable for a Jew to eat. With its roots in the Hebrew Bible, the system of defining which foods are kosher was developed by the rabbis of late antiquity (https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/kosher-food/)
The following information is from Healthline (link below). There are three main categories of kosher food:
- The first is 'fleishig'
- The second is 'milchig'
- The third is 'pareve'
- Fleishig includes items derived from mammals or fowl, including flesh, bones and broth! Meat must come from an animal which chews its cud, and has split hooves, such as cows, sheep or goats, with the slaughter being under rabbinical supervision and under Jewish law.
- Milchig includes dairy items such as: milk, cheese butter and yoghurt that must also come through kosher animals! They must also be prepared with kosher equipment.
- Pareve includes any food that does not fall into the dairy or meat category. These items may include fish, eggs, or anything plant-based.
Rules surrounding food consumption:
- Food that is seen as meat may never be served or eaten at the same meal as a dairy product, and any utensils or equipment that has been used in the process of preparing meat and dairy, must be clean. Any meat and dairy product (or any utensil used to prepare these food categories) must be kept separate — even down to the sinks in which they’re washed.
- After eating meat, you must wait a designated amount of time before consuming any dairy product. The particular length of time varies among different Jewish customs but is usually between one and six hours.
- Pareve food items are considered neutral and may be eaten alongside either meat or dairy. However, if a pareve food item is prepared or processed using any equipment used to process meat or dairy, it may be reclassified as meat, dairy, or non-kosher.
A “K” or “OU” kosher symbol means that the food-manufacturing process was overseen by a rabbi who ensured that it met Jewish dietary laws. (There are actually dozens of symbols used by different kosher certifying agencies.)
Follow all of these links to find out more about kosher diets:
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-kosher#definition
- https://www.peta.org/about-peta/faq/what-about-kosher-symbols/#:~:text=A%20%E2%80%9CK%E2%80%9D%20or%20%E2%80%9COU,by%20different%20kosher%20certifying%20agencies.)
- https://www.klbdkosher.org/news-and-articles/health-benefits-of-a-kosher-diet/