SC - "Fake" ypocras

[R. Del Boccio]

Stefan li Rous had many questions:

>I'm not sure how anyone can keep up with what is kosher and what isn't.
>I think I'll be cooking from period Latin recipes on the fly, before
>I ever understand these kosher rules. :-)

Naw, you can understand the basics of kosher food sooner i'm sure. 
It's really not that hard. I'm no expert as i don't keep kosher, but 
here's a very general basic explanation.


** Category One - FLESH/MEAT
 From animals with cloven hooves that chew cud
OK: cow, sheep, goat, deer and other ungulates.
NOT: Horse. Pig. Any predator or scavenger, including humans


** Category Two - NEUTRAL

FOWL:
OK: Birds that eat grain
NOT: Predators and scavengers

SEAFOOD:
OK: Fish with scales
NOT: Fish without scales, (e.g., eels, shark, catfish) and 
crustaceans (shrimp, crab, lobster, langoustine, etc.) and things in 
shells (mussels, scallops, oysters, clams, etc.), bottom scavengers...

EGGS

FRUITS, VEGETABLES, GRAINS, SPICES, ETC.


** Category Three - DAIRY:
milk, butter, yogurt, cheese, etc., anything made from milk or milk 
products (dried milk, casein, lactose)


Flesh and fowl are supposed to be killed and butchered in a certain 
way, the throat slit and the blood drained out. Muslims buy from 
Jewish butchers and Jews buy from Muslim butchers since the methods 
are similar if they live in an area without their own butchers. Some 
Jewish cooks will soak red meat in salt water to remove more blood.

You can eat Category One and Two together.
You can eat Category Two and Three together.
But, you CANNOT eat Category One and Three together in one meal, 
generally speaking


See, easy.


Now, it's true that there are more complicated rules, but Jews can 
kind of choose to what extreme they want to go. And if they want to 
be very exacting, then there are books that delineate all the 
details, and if they aren't certain about something, they ask their 
rabbi.

I think what's confusing you is that some of us have been discussing 
the additional Passover rules. For Passover, many things must be 
certified "Kosher for Passover" which people don't worry about the 
other 51 weeks of the year, such as wine. So, forget about the 
Passover rules (...and Passover rules vary depending on whether the 
feasters are Ashkenazi, Sephardi, or Mizrachi - but don't worry your 
pretty little head about that :-)

But, after all, Medieval Christians followed complicated food rules, 
too: which days of the week were meat days, which were fish days, 
which were fast days, etc. Which creatures fell into which categories 
(they categorized some animals rather differently than we do now). 
Which days were you allowed to eat oil, or butter, or lard. And, of 
course, further complications of what one was allowed to eat came 
along with a month of Lent.

Anahita