What is Kosher Cooking?

Kosher cooking is the equivalent of Jewish tradition. The word “kosher,” is Hebrew for “fit” or “appropriate” and describes the food that is suitable for a Jew to eat. With its roots in the Hebrew Bible, the system of defining which foods are kosher was developed by the rabbis of late antiquity.

Most people are familiar with the idea that pork and shellfish aren’t kosher, and that Jews shouldn’t eat pork products or shellfish products. But keeping a kosher kitchen involves much more than simply eschewing ham, bacon, sausage, shrimp, and clams.

To be kosher, meat must only come from cows, sheep, and goats, but rules out pigs and camels. Meat must be sourced from an animal that was humanely slaughtered under supervision by a rabbi. Jews only can eat poultry that are not birds of prey, so chickens, ducks, and turkeys are allowed while eagles, hawks, and pelicans are not. And they only can consume fish that have fins and scales, which rules out shellfish. Most eggs are kosher, as long as they do not contain blood, but insects are not.

All kosher milk products must come from kosher animals, and dairy products can’t contain animal-based ingredients.

In addition to meats and other foods, to be considered kosher, wines and grape-based products must be made by a Jewish producer.

Fruits, vegetables and grains are basically always kosher, but must be insect free.

Wine or grape juice, however, must be certified kosher.

More and more people are turning to Kosher Diet

At its core, kosher means pure and healthy. The kosher way of eating, although a Jewish tradition, is becoming more and more popular among non-Jewish as well. If you care about what you put into your body, it makes sense to trust the toughest food inspectors on the planet. And there is no one tougher than the global network of rabbis who determine what is and is not kosher, visiting processing plants, working with slaughterhouses and tracing ingredients all the way back to the field, patiently and carefully.

Jews are only a fraction of the kosher market; Muslims buy kosher, other religions buy kosher, Seventh Day Adventists. People who suffer from food allergies and have sensitivities to things such as shellfish, dairy, eggs or wheat look to kosher for certainty that packaged and prepared foods will be free of any ingredient sourced from those things.

People with dietary restrictions have a much easier time finding what they need in the world of kosher cooking.

Martino is Kosher-friendly, here’s why.

Martino couscous products hold the Demeter Biodynamic Certification. Under Demeter standards, couscous products must be made from wheat, which has not been grown with the use of synthetic water soluble fertilizers, and most synthetic pesticides, herbicides and animal remedies. Farmers are also required to use the biodynamic compost preparations in all fermented organic manures, including compost and liquid brews. This gives wheat additional nutritional benefits as it is not weighed down by any toxins that are usually contained in grains.

Aside from being chemical and toxin-free, Demeter couscous products have been produced and farmed in an environmentally-friendly way. Martino couscous products are natural products and we are really committed to really good quality ingredients! We believe in choice and in giving our customers a variety of healthy options for fast, easy and nutritionally beneficial meals as is evident from the Martino couscous range of bio couscous products.

Being Demeter certified gives you the peace of mind that you know exactly what you are getting. This type of couscous is perfect for the health conscious consumer looking for convenient meals and also for those that are into Kosher Cooking.

But what about Passover and Kosher Cooking?

Passover is the major Jewish spring festival which commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, lasting seven or eight days from the 15th day of Nisan.

Since the 13th century, the Passover custom among Ashkenazi Jews has been to prohibit kitniyot, or legumes, rice, seeds and corn. Chickpeas, popcorn, millet, lentils, edamame, corn on the cob; these have all been off the table. But last December, the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards (CJLS), the legal body of the Conservative movement, voted on and passed two separate papers, allowing the eating of kitniyot on Passover.

That means this will be the first Passover in hundreds of years that Ashkenazi Jews will be able to put a bowl of rice on the Seder table. A platter of corn.  Favas. Lentil soup. The chickpea and sesame seed paste we know as hummus.

Now Martino’s corn and chickpea couscous produced under the highest standards is now also possible to eat in delicious recipes during Passover. Try it for yourself and see how it enriches your cuisine.