Kosher in Altoona, PA

Kosher, in Altoona, is a Hebrew word meaning proper or fit. In case of food, the term denotes an item that is allowed for consuming as per the Jewish Law. There are three categories of Kosher food- Meat, Dairy & Pareve.

Meat– Only the meat of the animals that have split hooves and chewed its cud are considered to be Kosher. Examples: cow, goat, lamb, chicken, turkey, goose, and certain ducks. The Kosher-animals are slaughtered by a specialist, followed by soaking & salting of the meat according to the Jewish law.

Dairy – The Milk and milk products (cream, butter, cheese etc.) obtained from a Kosher-animal are considered to be Kosher-Dairy. This must not be consumed in combination with Kosher-meat.

Pareve – All fruits, grains and vegetables, fish having fins & scales in their natural state are Kosher-Pareve. Examples of Kosher fish are- Carp, salmon, halibut and carp. A Pareve item will become a dairy or meat item if cooked with a dairy or a meat food item.

During Passover, some grains, for example- legumes in many Jewish communities are not considered Kosher. Even the utensils to be used for preparing Kosher during Passover must be permitted by Jewish law. Utensils for storing, preparing or serving Kosher of separate categories should not be mixed up. Also, once used for preparing, storing or serving non-Kosher foods would never be used for Kosher.