Text 24142, 131 rader
Skriven 2012-04-27 13:27:00 av Glen Jamieson
     Kommentar till en text av Ruth Hanschka
Ärende: KOSHER 547  20426
=========================
 -=> Quoting Ruth Hanschka to Glen Jamieson <=-

 ->  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.
 ->  
 RH> No BLTs for you?  I have to admit that raw tomatoes aren't my favorite
 RH> food  in a gross understatement, but bacon sandwiches are a good thing.

I like bacon, but the stuff I get from the local s/market is watery
and lacks flavour.  All the local butchers except one are Halal, and
the Vietnamese place isn't into bacon.  I have to go into the Central
Market to get the good stuff, made by the Germanic settlers of the
Barossa valley.  I can get good, spicy sausages though.  Mettwurst,
salami, sucuk, chorizo.  They go well on toast, with tomato and cos
lettuce.

 RH> Bacon and RH> apple would be quite nice too.

Something else that I have not tried, but would.

 ->  -> 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 
 RH> Passover. 

Such as wine or derivatives thereof?

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

An interesting procedure.  Does it really work?

 ->  RH> Some new world 
 ->  RH> products aren't allowed because they either ferment naturally or
 RH> may 

In other words, "If in doubt, don't!".

 -> I didn't know that soya products rose.

 RH> They generally don't, as far as I know, but they're kitnyot and
 RH> therefor  considered suspect.  It's a "tradition" thang; I know a lot
 RH> of the rules,  but don't pretend to really understand the logic (ahem)
 RH> 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 
 RH> 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...

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

No rhyme nor reason...
 
 ->  -> 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
 RH> 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. 

Thanks for that explanation.  Now I will be able to read recipes with
a greater understanding.

 -> 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.
 RH> 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.  
 RH> That's
 ->  RH> especially true for  turkeys, because fitting a 20-pound turkey
 RH> into
 ->  RH> the fridge is bad enough  without having to fit in a bathtub for
 RH> 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.

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

I can get coarse salt - either the unrefined stuff used for
regenerating water softeners, or the expensive kind sold in gourmet
shops at a much higher price.  Someone left a kg of the latter, so I
will use that.

Thanks.
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