Most kosher guidelines forbid pairing meat and dairy together and allow you to eat the meat of certain animals. Kosher guidelines also provide direction on preparation.

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“Kosher” is a term used to describe food that complies with the strict dietary standards of traditional Jewish law. The English word is derived from the Hebrew root “kashér,” which means “to be pure, proper, or suitable for consumption.”

Kosher dietary laws are comprehensive and provide a rigid framework of rules that outline which foods are allowed or forbidden and mandate how permitted foods must be produced, processed, and prepared before consumption.

For many Jews, keeping kosher is about reverence and adherence to religious tradition, not just health or food safety. However, not all Jewish communities adhere to strict kosher guidelines. Some individuals may choose to follow only certain rules — or none at all.

Some of the main kosher dietary guidelines ban certain food pairings — particularly the pairing of meat and dairy.

There are three main kosher food categories:

  • Meat (fleishig): mammals or fowl, as well as products derived from them, including bones and broth
  • Dairy (milchig): milk, cheese, butter, and yogurt
  • Pareve: any food that is not meat or dairy, including fish, eggs, and plant-based foods

Any food categorized as meat cannot be served or eaten at the same meal as a dairy product.

Furthermore, all utensils and equipment used to process and clean meat and dairy must be kept separate, including the sinks in which they’re washed.

After eating meat, you must wait a certain amount of time before consuming any dairy product. The particular length of time varies among different Jewish customs but is usually between 3 and 6 hours.

Pareve food items are considered neutral and, according to some views, may be eaten alongside meat or dairy. However, if a pareve food item is prepared or processed using equipment that processes meat or dairy, it is reclassified as meat or dairy.

Many kosher rules address animal-based foods and the ways they are slaughtered and prepared. Dairy is treated separately and should never be consumed or prepared alongside meat or meat products.

Fish and eggs are considered pareve and have their own sets of rules.

Meat (fleishig)

The term “meat” in the kosher context generally refers to edible flesh from certain types of mammals and fowl, as well as any products derived from them, like broth, gravy, and bones.

Jewish law states that for meat to be considered kosher, it must meet the following criteria:

  • It must come from ruminant animals with cloven — or split — hooves, such as cows, sheep, goats, lambs, oxen, and deer.
  • Forbidden veins are extremely prevalent in the hindquarters of ruminant animals, and due to the complex and expensive nature of removing them, this part of the animal is generally not sold as Kosher in the US; therefore, the forequarter of the animal is typically what’s consumed.
  • Certain domesticated fowl can be eaten, such as chicken, geese, quail, dove, and turkey.
  • The animal must be slaughtered by a shochet — a person trained and certified to butcher animals according to Jewish laws.
  • The meat must be soaked to remove any traces of blood before cooking.
  • Any utensils used to slaughter or prepare the meat must be kosher and designated only for use with meat and meat products.

The following types of meat and meat products are not considered kosher:

  • meat from pigs, rabbits, squirrels, camels, kangaroos, and horses
  • predator or scavenger birds, such as eagles, owls, gulls, and hawks
  • cuts of beef that come from the hindquarters of the animal, such as flank, short loin, sirloin, round, and shank

Dairy (milchig)

Dairy products — such as milk, cheese, butter, and yogurt — are permitted, although they must adhere to specific rules in order to be considered kosher:

  • They must come from a kosher animal.
  • They must never be mixed with any meat-based derivatives, such as gelatin or rennet (an animal-derived enzyme), which is often the case with hard cheeses and other processed cheese products.
  • They must be prepared using kosher utensils and equipment that has not previously been used to process any meat-based product.

Fish and eggs (pareve)

Although they each have their own separate rules, fish and eggs are both classified as pareve, or neutral, which means they do not contain milk or meat.

Fish is considered kosher only if it comes from an animal that has fins and scales, such as tuna, salmon, halibut, or mackerel.

Water-dwelling creatures that don’t have these physical features — such as shrimp, crab, oysters, lobster, and other types of shellfish — are not permitted.

Unlike kosher meat, fish don’t require separate utensils for their preparation and may be eaten alongside meat or dairy products.

Eggs that come from kosher fowl or fish are permitted as long as they don’t have any traces of blood in them. This means that each egg must be inspected individually.

Like fish and eggs, plant-based foods are considered pareve, or neutral, meaning they do not contain meat or dairy and may be eaten with either of those food groups.

These foods also have their own set of kosher guidelines — especially regarding how they’re processed — although these guidelines are somewhat less restrictive than those for meat and dairy.

Grains and bread

In their purest form, grains and grain-based foods are considered kosher. However, certain processing methods may ultimately deem them not kosher.

Processed grain products such as bread may not be kosher if the equipment used to process it or the ingredients used are not.

It is common for some breads to contain oils or shortening. If an animal-based shortening is used, the bread may not be considered kosher.

Furthermore, the end product is no longer kosher if baking pans or other equipment are greased with animal-based fats or used to cook any meat- or dairy-containing dish.

Because these processing methods are not typically disclosed on a standard nutrition or ingredient label, bread and other grain products must be certified kosher to ensure that they comply with all relevant guidelines.

Fruits and vegetables

Like grains, fruits and vegetables are kosher in their unprocessed form.

However, because insects are not kosher, fresh fruits and vegetables must be inspected for the presence of insects or larvae prior to sale or consumption.

Fruit and vegetable products that are produced using non-kosher equipment, such as anything that processes milk and meat, are not kosher.

Nuts, seeds, and oils

Generally speaking, nuts, seeds, and the oils derived from them are kosher.

However, the complicated processing of these foods often renders them non-kosher as a result of cross-contamination of equipment also used to process meat or dairy products.

Many vegetable and seed oils undergo several steps of processing before they’re considered edible. Each of these steps must be closely monitored to ensure adherence to kosher guidelines.

Thus, to be completely certain the oils you’re using are kosher, it’s best to check the label for certification.

Wine

Like foods, wine must be produced using kosher equipment and ingredients to be deemed kosher. This includes any tools used to harvest and prepare the grapes for fermentation.

However, because wine is significant to many Jewish religious occasions, stricter rules are imposed.

The entire kosher wine production process must be carried out and supervised by practicing Jews. Otherwise, the wine cannot be deemed kosher.

Additional kosher dietary restrictions apply during the religious holiday of Passover.

Though there is some variation in adherence to Passover dietary guidelines, all leavened grain products are traditionally forbidden.

These foods are collectively referred to as “chametz” and include the following grains:

This is why matzo, a type of unleavened flatbread, is not considered chametz — even though it is traditionally made from wheat.

Because of complex modern food production practices, ensuring that the foods you’re eating are kosher can be very challenging.

Foods certified kosher feature a label on their packaging indicating that they’ve met all the necessary requirements.

There are dozens of different kosher labels, many of which come from different certifying organizations. If a food is certified for Passover, this will be indicated with a separate label. The labels may also indicate whether a food is dairy, meat, or pareve.

If you’re trying to adhere to kosher dietary guidelines, it’s best to choose only foods with these labels in order to avoid accidentally eating something non-kosher.

“Kosher” refers to a Jewish dietary framework for food preparation, processing, and consumption.

Though variations exist, most guidelines forbid pairing meat and dairy and allow only certain animals to be eaten. Foods not considered meat or dairy are generally accepted, provided they’re produced using kosher equipment and practices.

Additional rules may be imposed during religious holidays, such as Passover.

Because of the complexities of modern food production, it can be difficult to know whether many processed foods are kosher. You should always look for kosher certification labels to ensure that your food follows the guidelines.