Let’s Talk Kosher
It’s been brought to my attention that I’m a little rusty on my definition of kosher.
Yeah, whatever.
Just because I didn’t change the directions I was transcribing from to the non-kosher actions I committed, and didn’t realize that biscuits from a can probably contained dairy… Psh.
Okay, you win. I’m truly a shiksa.
So this week, I went on a quest to discover kosher. And found hot dogs.
This was my lunch today- what up life of a healthy college student?
Kosher for Dummies:
-Animals that chew their cud and have split hooves.
-Kosher fish must have scales and fins.
-The meat is butchered by specifically trained people. (I.e. Not any random hunter with a gun.)
-Meat and dairy must remain separate!
^Kosher, in a nutshell. There are many more technicalities, and cultural reasonings, but I don’t have enough word-space in here to begin trying to delve into that.
So, naturally, I wanted to know the difference between kosher and non-kosher hot dogs was. I found a nice Wiki Answers page helping me out. ***(WARNING: hot dog spoilers to follow)***
Kosher Hot Dogs Rules:
-Method of killing and bleeding
-Absence of blood in the mix
-The absence of meat from animals that are not allowed according to the rules of kashrut (pork, rabbit, etc)
-The absence of milk or milk products in a meat hotdog
-The absence of grain in the mix during Passover
-The cut of the meat (in most places, the hind quarter of an animal isn’t used because the difficulty of removing the necessary veins, arteries, etc to make it kosher is cost prohibitive.)
***Non-kosher hot dogs have anything that resembles meat that can’t be sold as a cut of meat – lips, snouts, muscle scrapings from bones, whey powder, odd animals…
Excuse me while I go wash my mouth out with soap after eating this bad-boy.
Yes, I ate two hot dogs in one day. Be jealous.
To be fair, I was at a baseball game, so I needed to eat a hot dog. It’s practically a law. And truth be told, I’m not sure I tasted any real difference in the duo. I might have to have a separate back-to-back taste test to really figure it out.
Is there a noticeable difference? Does anyone know?
Either way, I was kind of surprised that I really enjoyed the Kosher version. You Jews really know your hot dogs! I have put my stamp of approval on them.
If you’re looking for a delicious Kosher hot dog lunch, drop by the U of M today between 10:30 and 3:30. There’s a squad of people set up selling a kosher hot dog, chips, and a pop for $2.50. All proceeds will go to Shasheret, an organization supporting young women and their families facing breast cancer. (click here for details)
Until next time,
Shiksa Out
Filed Under: Noshin'
I’m glad we didn’t scare you away from the whole concept of kashrut. Great summary of the basic laws.
I agree that kosher hot dogs taste better. I don’t know whether that’s because they are made of beef rather than pork, or because they don’t have some of the more disgusting fillers.
One thing that can ruin the whole kosher hot dog thing, though, is that sometimes the hot dog buns have dairy in them.
Ah yes, good catch! The buns at lunch might have been kosher, because the people serving them are members of a couple of Jewish organizations on campus. So it’s possible, but not likely.
Haha I can’t believe I did that again! Bread will forever be my downfall.
Thanks, Susan!