Kosher catering

In order to provide Kosher catering you must first understand it. Jews have always placed great emphasis on gastronomic self-control. The main principles of Kashrut are laid down in the Five Books of Moses and are classified as "statutes" - no reason is given for keeping them other than we are commanded to do so. Nevertheless Rabbis have always stressed their essential role in preserving Jewish life. By keeping Kosher, children from an early age learn discipline, distinguishing between what is permitted and what is not. Beyond the exercise of self-restraint, the Rabbis in the Talmud came up with another, more mystical idea. If you eat non-kosher food, they said, it reduces your spiritual capacity and clogs up the pores of your soul.

Central to providing kosher catering is the separation of meat from milk. The prohibitions against mixing them are very strict, in some respects more so than other Kashrut regulations. But you are not allowed to derive any benefit at all from the mixture of meat and milk. So while Jews are allowed to work as chefs in non-Jewish restaurants they may cook the burgers, but not the cheeseburgers. Food that is neither meat nor dairy is called 'par eve' - neutral - and par eve utensils like salad bowls or drinking glasses can accompany both milk and meat meals. Ordinary non-absorbent glass may be designated par eve. But Pyrex and other oven proof dishes glass must be designated either meat or milk.

Another rule of Kosher catering is not to put fish and meat together. Rabbis, advocates of a healthy lifestyle, believe it to be physically harmful. So you shouldn't use Worcestershire Sauce, which is made from anchovies, in the preparation of a meat dish. The basic rules about which animals, birds and fish are kosher are set out in Leviticus chapter 11. As for red meat, the animals must have cloven hooves and chew the cud - such as goats, sheep, cattle and deer. The Torah lists only the birds which are forbidden to eat, such as ostriches, owls and vultures.
Meat and poultry for Kosher catering must be prepared by the hallowed method of shechitah - a swift cut by a razor-sharp knife - which Jews believe to be the most painless means of slaughtering the animal. After shechitah, the animal must undergo a thorough inspection (bediko) to check if there are any blemishes which according to Jewish law render it not kosher.