Jewish foods & cuisine - why?
Wherever Jews have lived, from the ancient Middle East to the modern Americas, they have eaten the local foods. So what are Jewish foods? They are those local foods which are allowed by halakha and, in some cases, developed or adapted to meet Jewish needs. Jewish cuisine is not only East-European food. Every Jewish community -- Ashkenazic, Sephardic, Yemenite, Italian and others -- has met the requirements of Judaism in its own way and with its own cuisine.
Reasons, other than kashruth, for Jewish cuisine include:
1. Shabbat: Two Shabbat rules, in particular, have influenced the development of Jewish food. One is the prohibition against removing the unwanted parts of a mixture, such as the bones from fish. This resulted in the development of gefilte fish, which (at least in theory) has no bones.
Better known is the rule against putting things up to cook on Shabbat. Since stews, and other long cooking items may be put up before Shabbat, a range of such dishes was developed. The most well known of these is "cholent" (called "hamin" by Sephardic Jews).
2. Holidays: The effect of the Passover on Jewish food may ultimately have a FAQ of its own, but other holidays have had their effects as well.
Rosh Hashanah, with its emphasis on sweet things, has led to honey cake and "taigelech." A pun on the Yiddish word for carrots -- "mehren" -- which can also mean "to increase", has led to carrot tzimmes. Shavuot, characterized by dairy foods, has led to blintzes and cheesecakes.
What constitutes kosher food?In determining whether a recipe you want to post is kosher, bear in mind the basic concepts of kosher food: no mixing of dairy and meat; no pork or pork products; no shell fish.
This also applies to food products containing such ingredients. For example, a food coloring made from a shell fish would be considered unkosher and would taint the food in which it might be used. Similarly, using, e.g., an animal fat together with dairy ingredients renders the product unkosher and taints even the implements used in making it.
If a recipe is not in keeping with these basic requirements, consider whether substitutions can be made to adjust it for "kashruth" (e.g., substituting margarine for butter in a meat recipe). If you are unsure of how to make such substitutions, post the recipe and ask for suggestions as how to do so. Please note clearly that the recipe is not fundamentally kosher.
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