Kosher foods are those that conform to the regulations of kashrut (Jewish dietary law) and are considered fit to eat. These food regulations ultimately derive from various passages in the Torah. According to these passages a land animal is kosher if it has split hooves and chews its cud. Both of these things must be true in order for it to be kosher. Some examples of kosher animals include cows, sheep, goats and deer.
Cats, dogs, pigs, rabbits, bears, camels, horses etc. are not kosher on the other hand. Leviticus 11:3-8 and Deuteronomy 14:4-8 both give the same general set of rules for identifying which land animals are considered ritually clean. According to these rules anything that “chews the cud” and has a cloven hoof is considered ritually clean, however those animals that either only chew the cud, or only have cloven hoods are considered unclean.
Other reasons for food not being kosher include the presence of ingredients derived from non-kosher animals that were not slaughtered in the proper ritual, include a mixture of meat and milk, wine, or grape juice, or their derivatives. In addition, any food that was produced without supervision, the use of produce from Israel that has not been tithed, or the use of non-kosher cooking utensils and machinery are considered un-kosher.
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