Kosher Foods

Meats and poultry

These include meats from approved animals, including cattle, goats, and deer. These animals chew their cud and have split or cloven hooves. Pork is not allowed. Permitted poultry includes chicken, duck, goose, and turkey, but not birds of prey. Any product derived from animals, such as gelatin, is included in this category.

Meat products must be slaughtered and cut according to kosher rules. This includes removing blood vessels and traces of blood from meats. For this reason, only meats from the forequarters can be strictly kosher, since the blood vessels in hind quarters are too small to be removed.

Dairy products

These include milk and milk products, including butter, from approved animals, including cattle and goats. Cheese must not contain rennet, a curdling enzyme, derived from animals.

Pareve foods

These include foods that don’t contain any meat or milk products, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, eggs from permitted birds, and permitted fish. Only fish with scales and gills can be pareve, not shellfish.