Kashruth 101 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mashgiach

"Mashgiah" means "supervisor". In some establishments, particularly large ones, the mashgiach is only concerned with supervising kashruth. In smaller operations, he might also be responsible for some of the preparation or cooking.

Answer: A food that contains neither meat nor milk.

"Parve" means something that is neither meat nor milk, such as fruit, vegetables, or grains. These foods may be eaten with either meat or milk foods.

Answer: They must be inspected for blood spots before use.

Eggs are indeed "parve", and may be eaten with either meat or milk products. However, they must be inspected before use to assure they do not contain any blood. This is usually done by breaking them into a glass first.

Answer: All of these.

Kosher mammals are those that chew their cud and have cloven hooves. A pig, for example, which has cloven hooves but does not chew its cud, is not kosher. Additionally, a live animal must be slaughtered according to Jewish law by a "shochet", and then inspected. Some other kinds of flesh are also kosher, such as some fish and fowl, but they have their own stipulations.

Answer: Order food ahead of time. This food is specially packaged so that it may be heated.

Airline passengers may order kosher food ahead of time when they order their tickets. This comes double-wrapped so that it may be heated up in the ovens used for general food on the plane. It isn't a bad idea to bring something with you - sometimes there are mix-ups!

Answer: All of these.

Separation of milk and meat is based on the Biblical verse which states "Thou shalt not cook a kid in its mother's milk." In Jewish law this is interpreted as complete separation of milk and meat (and meat means fowl as well as beef and lamb!), including cooking, eating and maintaining different utensils for each type of food.

Answer: Sepharadim were allowed eat kitniot (pulses) while Ashkenazim were not.

At no time are the rules and traditions of Kashruth as complicated and as confusing as they are at Passover. Prior to a change in the official guidelines in 2016, Ashkenazim did not eat any kitniot (pulses), while Sepharadim could. However, there were differences between the various Sepharadic communities.

Some ate all pulses, including rice, lentils and corn, while other ate only some of these products. Some Ashkenazim did not eat wet matza or matza products (gebrocht), while other Ashkenazim did. All communities change their cooking and eating utensils for Passover.

Answer: A basket of fresh fruit.

Wine requires some of the strictest supervision of any kosher food, most likely because wine was used in idol worship in biblical times. Many cheeses contain a substance called rennet which comes from an animal, so these cheese are not kosher. Kosher cheese are only those bearing a "heksher", or seal from a recognized supervisor. Even if the cake were baked in a disposable pan, the utensils it was mixed in were not kosher, so it would not be kosher, either. Since there are no kashruth problems involved in fresh fruit (except in Israel during a sabbatical year), this would be the wisest gift to bring!

Answer: All of these.

There are many solutions available to kosher travelers. A number of web sites list kosher restaurants and supermarkets in cities all over the world. Local institutions, such as synagogues, Jewish hospitals, Hillel Houses on campuses and Chabad Houses offer kosher meals. If you are traveling to an area where kosher food is not available, you may need to bring food with you. Pre-packaged meals, canned foods, etc. are a good idea.

In any event, it is best to plan ahead of time!

Answer: It must have fins and scales.

Kosher fish must have fins and visible scales that remain in adulthood - this holds for all Jewish communities. Fish, such as catfish, which do not meet these criteria, are not kosher. Seafood, like shrimps or crabs, are not kosher for the same reason.

While fish is considered parve, it is not eaten together with meat. Some communities, specifically Sephardic communities and some Hassidim, do not eat fish with milk products.