Essay --

What appeals most to people when it comes to different cultures is the food and the Jewish culture does not disappoint. Although Judaism is a religion, it is also a culture in its own right; many Jewish people share the same foods along with the same beliefs. What most non-Jewish people think of when the topic of Jewish food arises is the word kosher. Kosher foods are foods that abide by the regulations of the kashrut which is the Jewish dietary law . Some foods that are staples in the Jewish culture are matzah ball soup, latkes, tzimmes, gefilte fish, and Jewish apple kuchen (cake). Not all Jews share the same foods but most have had similar dishes throughout their lives. Those that keep kosher follow the laws of kashrut that start in the Torah. The word kosher comes from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kasher which means fit. When it comes to kosher meat, animals must have split hooves and chew their own cuds, although a pig has split hooves, it does not chew its own cuds so it cannot be kosher, other examples of non-kosher animals are the hare and camel. The Torah states winged creatures that cannot be consumed are mostly birds of prey, fish-eating water-birds and bats. Anything in the water that has fins and scales is considered clean. When it comes to dairy, milk from kosher animals is considered clean. Dairy and meat are not allowed to mix when keeping kosher. The reason for this is the Torah specifically forbids â€Å"seething† a young goat â€Å"in its mother’s milk† (Exodus 23:19, Exodus 34:26 and Deuteronomy 14:21) . Due to the dietary restrictions of Judaism, Jewish people had to get creative when it came to making dishes. A perfect example of this would be the Jewish apple kuchen or cake. For thi... ... tradition to eat sweet dishes for Rosh Hashanah to symbolize the hope of a sweet year. Gefilte fish is another Ashkenazi Jewish dish that is made from a poached mixture of ground boned fish like carp, whitefish or pike which is usually eaten as an appetizer. Historically it consisted of minced forcemeat which is a mixture of ground lean meat emulsified with fat, stuffed inside the fish skin. In the 19th century the skin has been left out and the fish is formed into patties. They are popular during Shabbat which is the Jewish day of rest and seventh day of the week; Jews remember the creation of the heavens and the earth in six days and the exodus of the Hebrews. Shabbat starts from a few minutes before sunset on Friday until the appearance of the three stars in the sky on Saturday night. Shabbat is started by lighting candles and reciting a blessing.