5773-5774 2013-2014 www.tribeuk.com Staying Kosher on Campus Starting University can be quite a daunting process, and amongst all the preparations What is Kosher? that you need to undertake, making sure In literal terms, Kosher means ‘fit The basic laws of kashrut fall into your new home is fit for kosher food can to eat’. Keeping Kosher has been two categories: certainly be one of the most important a central part of Jewish life for and stressful of them all! In the following thousands of years. n Those foods which are pages, I hope this booklet provides all the forbidden to eat essential information to help ease this We are presented in the Torah with n Those foods which must be process for you and to help you on your a range of laws concerning what prepared in a certain way. way to preparing your own kosher home! Kosher on Campus we can and cannot eat. There is an array of different specifications to Enjoy your time on campus! Top TIp Don’t forget to speak maintaining a Kosher home and to your local Chaplain these can require constraint for additional helpful and control. information. Their details are included in this David Collins booklet. Tribe Executive Director 2 Kosher on Campus 3 Meat, Dairy and Parev The separation of meat Fridge/Freezer Waiting between Parev and dairy Unlike with kitchen utensils, meat and dairy dairy and meat This is the term used for products that contain foods can be kept together in neither meat nor dairy products. Typical examples One of the most important parts of a kosher kitchen There are different commentaries that give various the fridge and freezer. It is of these foods are eggs, fruit, vegetables, grains and maintaining a kosher diet is to separate all dairy responses to waiting time: some commentaries important that foods in the and fruit juices. Other common parev foods include products from meat products. Mixing the two is mention one hour and some mention six fridge and freezer are pasta, soft drinks, coffee, tea, sweets and some forbidden in Judaism and they must not be cooked hours. The most common time period that carefully closed so as snacks. These products are parev until they come in or eaten together. To ensure total separation, it is practiced amongst British Jews before to not spill on other contact with dairy or meat products. is important to have two sets of kitchen utensils, having something dairy after eating meat things that are accessories and appliances for meat and for dairy. is three hours. As for eating something kept in there. It is not essential to have a third set of appliances This also includes sponges, washing up bowls and containing meat after consuming a for parev foods as they can be prepared with either tea towels. If you are lucky enough to dairy product, it is not necessary to a dairy or meat meal. When a parev food has, for have a dishwasher at University, wait unless you have consumed hard Kosher on Campus example, been prepared with dairy utensils, then then this should only be used for cheese where it is customary to wait these foods cannot be consumed in a meat meal, either meat or dairy dishes. Top TIp an hour. It is advised that something It is much easier if your and vice versa. should pass your lips before eating appliances are colour something containing meat, either a coded i.e. all dairy utensils are blue and all meat ones drink or a parev product. are red. Plus, it helps to brighten up a student kitchen! 4 Kosher on Campus 5 Some useful Kosher guidelines Separating fish and meat 1. Kosher meat comes from animals that have 3. Milk can easily be purchased in the UK as civil both cloven hooves and chew the cud (cow, law guarantees the source of all milk. This It is common practice not to eat fish and goat, sheep, and deer). For meat to be killed means that all milk is regarded as kosher. meat together. This is a traditional custom and served in a kosher way, the animal is However, some Jews choose only to consume that does not come directly from the slaughtered in a humane method that is called kosher supervised milk because it is guaranteed Torah. You are permitted to eat Shechita. After the animal is killed, the meat to come from a kosher animal. meat after fish (and must be salted to remove all traces of blood, as vice versa) providing it is forbidden to consume blood. Birds of prey 4. Cheese must be rabbinically certified. This is something has touched and other species of fowl cannot be eaten. The because a commonly used curdling agent – the your pallet in between, permitted poultry that Jews can eat are duck, rennet – is often derived from an animal source. such as a drink or chicken, goose and turkey. And just before you ask vegetarian cheese is something parev. also a no no, different reason – same result! 2. Kosher fish are those that contain both fins and scales. To make this process easier when 5. Kosher Bread produced by Cohen Bakery under shopping for fish, only buy fish that still contains the brand name Buckingham Bakery is available at some skin and scales attached to help identify it selected Waitrose branches. Just look out for the quickly and easily. To see a full list of kosher fish, KLBD logo on the packaging. go to the Kosher Product Search on the United Synagogue website at www.theus.org.uk. 6 Kosher on Campus 7 E435 E436E120 E471 E422 E472(a) E432 E433E472(b) E434 E120 E422E472(c) E432 E433 E434E473 E474 E475 E476 E435 E436 E471 E472(a)E477 E472(b) E481 E482 E483 E491 E120 E422 E432 E433 E434 E472(c) Ea473 E474E492 E475 E435E476 E436E493 E471 E472(a) E494E472(b) E495 E542 E120 E422 E432 E433 E434E435 E436 E471 E472(a) E472(b) E472(c) Ea473 E474 E475 E476 E477 E481 E482 E483 E491 E477 E481 E482 E483 E491 E472(c) E473 E474 E475 E476 E492 E493 E494 E495 E542 E492 E493 E494 E495 E542 E570 E572 E570 E572 E477 E481 E482 E483 E491E570 E572 E492 E493 E494 E495 E542 E570 E572 6. When purchasing fruit and vegetables, it is to choose from, so make a stop at a kosher 10. When checking ingredients of packaged goods, 11. If cooking utensils have come in contact with essential that they are given a good rinse so as wine shop before going to University (or invite it is important to check the E numbers, as non-kosher foods, they are deemed as no longer to prevent consuming any flies or insects. This is yourself round to your local Chaplain for Friday often these will contain animal emulsifiers, suitable to use. Coffee machines or kettles can, because bugs are not allowed to be eaten. Some night dinner!) gelatine, glycerin or other non-kosher chemicals. however, be used. fruit and vegetables will need extra attention The most commonly used (and non-kosher) because they are more likely to contain insects. 8. Kosher eggs are those that have been laid ingredients are E471, E472 and E120. 12. As mentioned earlier, meat and dairy utensils These are asparagus, mange tout, raspberries, by kosher birds. When breaking an egg, it is and appliances must be kept separate. blackberries, lettuce, cabbage, celery, leeks, important to check for blood spots. This can be When shopping, watch out for the following e spring onions and herbs. done by breaking an egg into a glass bowl. If an numbers, as they contain non-kosher ingredients: 13. Processed foods are increasingly carrying the egg does have a blood spot, then it is deemed as KLBD logo. This logo means that the food is 7. It is often unknown what is put in wine and not kosher. E120 E422 E430 E431 E432 certified kosher under the London Beth Din. If therefore it is advised only to consume E433 E434 E435 E436 E441 the product does not carry this logo, it might wine that is certified kosher. Non- 9. Margarines often contain fats and E442 E470 E470a E470b E471 still be kosher, so consult the Kosher Product kosher wine often contains Kosher on Campus emulsifiers that are of animal and E472a E472b E472c E472d E472e Search at www.theus.org.uk to double-check. gelatine (animal fat) and Top TIp fish origin. Even manufacturers of E472f E473 E474 E475 E476 sometimes bulls’ blood to Make sure you check the ‘vegetarian’ margarine cannot always E477 E481 E482 E483 E491 help deepen the colour. Kosher Product Search at guarantee the source being vegetable E492 E493 E494 E495 E542 This cannot be checked, www.theus.org.uk which fat. In this way, it is advised that kosher E570 E572 E1441 will indicate those foods and luckily there are a margarine is purchased at all times. from the supermarket vast range of kosher wines which are kosher and those which are not. 8 Kosher on Campus 9 Maintaining a Kosher Kitchen Now that you have finally managed to unload If you are moving into a Use the following grid to kosher your appliances: all your things, it’s time to start koshering the FrIdge/Freezer Wash the entire space with special cleansing agents. Defrosting the freezer is advisable. kitchen. Follow the following guide in order Jewish flat... surFaCes After cleaning all surfaces, cover them in boiling hot water, directly from the kettle. to make your new kitchen bright, sparkling It is likely that the tenants before you did not sInK Firstly, clean the sink thoroughly.