Text 23999, 109 rader
Skriven 2012-04-24 23:15:02 av RUTH HANSCHKA (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av GLEN JAMIESON
Ärende: KOSHER 547  20424
=========================
->  -> I suppose that logically, starving to death would be more sinful..
->  -> 
->  RH> It would be akin to committing suicide, which is a lot worse than
->  RH> eating a  BLT.
-> 
-> I have not yet committed either of those actions, but one of them
-> could be quite pleasant.
->  
No BLTs for you?  I have to admit that raw tomatoes aren't my favorite food 
in a gross understatement, but bacon sandwiches are a good thing.  Bacon
and 
apple would be quite nice too.

->  -> I can understand why certain meats could be considered unhealthy,
and
->  -> therefore classified as Kosher/Halal, but why would soy products so
->  -> offend?  Would they have been known as foods to Abraham and his lot?
-> 
->  RH> Kitnyot - little bits. It's the whole leaven thing.  Things that
->  RH> ferment  spontaneously are off the menu for the duration of 
Passover. 
-> 
-> I thought there was something about not having leavened bread during
-> that period because it meant staying in one place for a period while
-> the bread rose.

Exactly.  Bread eaten in haste, because you may have to move out before it 
has time to rise.  It's mutated into not using anything that could 
conceivably start rising on its own.  At least that means no high fructose 
corn syrup in foods.  The "leaven" during Passover is most often beaten in 
air.   

->  RH> Some new world 
->  RH> products aren't allowed because they either ferment naturally or
may 
-> 
-> I didn't know that soya products rose.

They generally don't, as far as I know, but they're kitnyot and therefor 
considered suspect.  It's a "tradition" thang; I know a lot of the rules, 
but don't pretend to really understand the logic (ahem) behind them.  
 
->  RH> ferment.  Corn products aren't allowed, although they're fine for 
the
->  RH> rest  of the year.  Sephardic Jews can eat rice during Passover,
but
->  RH> Ashkenazi  (Eastern European mostly) Jews can't.  Some foods are
->  RH> considered suspect and 
->  RH> not eaten at that time "just in case".  On the other hand, seeds 
like
->  RH> Quinoa are considered just fine as long as they're certified.
->  
-> All very confusing for anyone trying to find out the original reasons
-> why certain religious customs are observed...

Pretty much, even if you're Jewish.  It's a combination of actual Law, the 
codified interpretations thereof, and modern life.   The Law says
unleavened 
bread, but doesn't say you can't eat salmon fried rice for the duration.  
That's a later interpretation.  Spam fried rice is of course right out 
regardless.   Want to hear a really good one?  Heat therapy packs
containing 
corn and rice, the usual fillers, aren't Kosher for Passover either.  Even 
though the product is well past eating or fermenting, it still can't be in 
the house and has to be stashed in an outbuilding or with a neighbor for
the 
duration.  

 
->  -> In this recipe, what is the meaning of "koshered"?
->  
->  ->       4    Lamb shanks, koshered, >>>>
-> 
->  RH> Basically rubbed with salt and left to sit for a while.  Jews
aren't
->  RH> allowed 
->  RH> to eat blood, so the meat is salted to make sure the blood is drawn
->  RH> out.  Or 
->  RH> something like that.  You wash the salt off before cooking. 
Poultry
-> 
-> Ah, that seems to be a logical explanation.  The lamb shanks I buy are
-> normally non-bloody.  Perhaps Halal has a similar aversion to blood
-> being left in meat.

I think it does.  Blood = life, so you're not allowed to eat it.  
 
->  RH> here  often comes pre-kashered if you're buying kosher meat.  We
->  RH> gentiles buy it  because it saves us the trouble of brining it.  
That's
->  RH> especially true for  turkeys, because fitting a 20-pound turkey
into
->  RH> the fridge is bad enough  without having to fit in a bathtub for
it. 
->  RH> You could just brine the lamb  and leave it at that.  
-> 
-> Thanks for that info.
-> 
-> One of these days I will try brining..... and so what is special about
-> kosher salt?  I have never seen it in our shops.

It's a large crystal.  If you're doing a salt crust it's the best thing 
going.  It also dissolves readily and generally isn't iodized.  Most salt 
here has added iodine, which can affect taste.  Sea salt might work, but
I'm 
not sure about what it would do to the flavor.  
 
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