Even though I don't know very much about Kosher law, I do know that one who keeps Kosher can only eat certain animal proteins. Now you can add giraffe to that list.
Recently at the Safari Park, Israel's largest zoo, vets took some milk from a female giraffe and sent it to some Rabbis to see if it was Kosher. Turns out it is. The Rabbis said that the milk formed curds correctly, and since giraffes "belong to the family of grazing animals that have cloven hooves and chew the cud" they should be considered Kosher.
What I don't get is why, if the vets were treating the female for something, did they send its milk to Rabbis for Kosher consideration? That point wasn't really addressed in the Telegraph Online article. Oh well, I guess there's now one more option for those who keep Kosher!
Pork is the most widely consumed meat in the world, in spite of the fact that its consumption is heavily restricted by religions like Islam and Judaism. Pork and pork fat are favorite ingredients of chefs and food processing companies because it can provide a good flavor and succulent texture to other products, usually meats, and has a high smoking point, which makes it a good choice for frying.One food processing company has developed a halal pork fat from "restructured vegetable fat" that should mimic the properties of real pork fat without pork. Called ADROGEL GR, the substitute fat is lower in fat than pork and primarily consists of vegetable oil and water, bound together into a white substance with the consistency of pork back fat. ADROGEL GR can be used in sausages, sauces and other places where food manufacturers regularly use pork fat, even in nonpork products.
Today, the board of health in New York is going to vote on whether or not the city will ban trans fats from restaurants. If the ban passes, eateries will have until July 2008 to eliminate all but 0.5g of trans fats per serving from their food. Restaurateurs are anxious, many worried that the quality of their food - by which they mean the taste - will suffer if the ban is accepted. While we wait to hear the ruling, what are some common sources of trans fats in our food? Forbes has named their five worst offenders in terms of the amount of trans fats they contain. They picked prepared and prepackaged foods; stick margarine; and chips and crackers fried in partially hydrogenated oils. Many breakfast foods, from donuts to pancakes, contain trans fats because they are either fried in type of partially hydrogenated oil or are claiming to be lower in cholesterol, since maybe breakfasters worry about the potential health risks of adding butter to their eggs. The most surprising item on the list is the fact that they name kosher baked goods as being at a high risk. The reason is that they are more likely to use partially hydrogenated shortening in place of dairy ingredients, like butter.
Kosher food is a new trend in stadium food. Over the past couple of years, exclusively kosher stands have been sprouting up at more sports venues, offering food that even very strict Jewish people, those who follow the dietary laws of kashrut, can eat. The glatt kosher hot dogs and other meat products are held to a different standard from ordinary ones and, of course, do not involve pork products. They are proving popular in New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, despite that fact that the stands are not typically open on the two busiest times of the sporting week: Friday nights and Saturdays. One other risk of selling the kosher food is that it is typically more expensive than the nonkosher offerings at stadiums and since stadium food is not inexpensive to begin with, this can mean that consumers might be paying as much as 25% more for kosher products. That being said, the slow and steady success of such vendors indicates that there is a market for kosher products in these settings, from both those who keep kosher and those who, like some fans, "like the taste better [and] assume the quality is better."
The other day I tried a bottle of a great new soda. At least it was new to me. Turns out it's been around for a couple of years. I came across Zota Green Tea Soda, in of all places, a kosher deli. Usually, when I eat deli I drink Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray, but I'm always game for something new. They had only one flavor, root beer.
While it didn't have the world's most pronounced root beer flavor, it was quite good and incredibly refreshing. Like most better sodas, Zota has no high-fructose corn syrup. Rather it uses evaporated cane juice as a sweetener. It packed a nice little caffeine kick and I'm sure also carried all the health benefits of green tea. I can't wait to try some of the other flavors, which include ginger, cola, lime and orange.
After looking at the company's web site I understand why Zota was in the deli's beverage case. Not only is it organic, it's also certified kosher.
A few months ago I read a short piece on kosher wines. I had been keeping my eye on them over the years because most people think of them as those overly sweet concord grape wines that tasted more like candy than wine. I'm not Jewish, but have quite a few friends that are, and I live in an area with a high population of those who try and stay kosher. Now kosher wine is hitting the big time. A few months ago I became friends with one of the distributors of kosher wines and spirits in my area and we've been planning on getting together soon so I can sample them. Well, yesterday I was at KosherFest, a kosher food and beverage trade show, and was amazed at how many high quality kosher wines are out there. In the next few weeks and months I will be reviewing wines of all types, but with the holidays coming I wanted to give a heads-up on a few good kosher ones to try.
Honey is a symbol of the sweet year ahead during the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, but it isn't an ingredient that gets as much respect as it deserves, largely because people tend to stick to the generic grocery store honeys. Now, it's not that there is anything wrong with a generic honey, but they do lack the nuances that many more specific varieties have to offer. These honeys often come from just one type of plant or one small area of land and, rather than just tasting sweet, they offer notes of berries, flowers, citrus and spices that can take a dessert - or even a piece of toast - to a new level. Epicurious picked out some of their favorites, which include:
Black Sage Honey, mild with notes of apple and vanilla
Star Thistle Honey, intensely floral
Rosemary and Lavender Honey, very mildly herbal
Javanese Island Honey Rambutan Blossom, strong taste of sandalwood and patchouli
Forest Honey, dark and molasses-like
More can be found with the Honey Locator. You'll also be able to find some more exotic honeys by visiting a smaller, specialty grocer or perhaps just by taking a closer look at the labels at the supermarket. If you see more than one you like, you can always host your own honey tasting.
Off to Brussels or Paris? Or perhaps you already live there. These two google maps (they are called mashups as they
add extra information on top of the standard google map) might just come in handy.
The map for Brussels has a cafe and bar finder and adds locations of wall paintings in the
city. The map of Paris is a little more specialised as it shows the location of kosher restaurants in the city plus
a selection of famous landmarks and other sights.
Trucking info website Layover.com recently ran a story about what it takes to keep tanker trucks
kosher. A link in the kosher food distribution chain that many diners may not think of, kosher washing stations for
tanker trucks are apparently a big business. When a tanker truck drops off its liquid cargo, it then goes to a washing
station to have its tank cleaned. Trucks that may have been carrying animal-based fats are obviously a concern to those
eating a kosher diet. Likewise, some washing facilities reuse their rinse water, thus creating another breach, according
to an Orthodox Union article about kosher trucking by
Rabbi Leonard Steinberg. For many, building wash centers that are all kosher is a more practical solution than just
offering a kosher-grade wash at a non-kosher facility. As this
list shows, there are plenty of facilities. Hey, I thought it was interesting.
Dr. Brown's makes the best cream soda in the world, as
far as I'm concerned. Ok - that's an overstatement, since I haven't had every cream soda there is, but they do make an
outstanding soda. It is creamy, with a strong vanilla flavor and just the right amount of carbonation. I don't buy it
often, but I'll always order it when I see it on the menu at a restaurant or deli. I recently picked up a bottle of Diet Dr. Brown's cream soda, for comparison with the
original. Sure, I will admit that it had a faint taste of artificial sweetener in with the deliciously smooth vanilla,
but it was close. Very close. I'll save the regular Dr. Brown's for when I eat out and keep a
pack of the diet at home.
By now, most Jewish people are deep into their Seder dinners, as the first
night of Passover began at
Sundown today. However, I'm not Jewish so I don't get to enjoy the ceremonial storytelling and delicious Seder
feast tonight.
Much of the story of Passover is about suffering, so I feel sort of sacrilegous in thinking that haroset
is delicious. Haroset has its place on the Seder plate, representing the mortar that the Israelis used for
building when they were kept as slaves in Egypt. Haroset can be made in many different ways, but the most basic recipe
is made from apples, nuts, and sweet wine.
One source is the website for the Jewish Diabetes Organization, www.jewishdiabetes.org. The site offers a guide in PDF format with recipes.
Cinnamon Hearts, at www.cinnamonhearts.com, is a recipe goldmine for Jewish
diabetics, with not only Passover recipes and a menu for a Seder dinner, but many foods for diabetics in general.
Worried about GM Easter
chocolates or just generally concerned for the environment? This Easter take a look at the Hoppy Treats from
Endangered Species. These individually wrapped chocolates are .35-ounces of
socially responsible goodness. All Endangered Species chocolate is ethically traded to ensure fair wages and good
working conditions for farmers and employees and the chocolates are all-natural. The chocolates come in milk and dark varieties. The dark
chocolate is 70% cocoa content and is certified kosher. The milk chocolate has a 52% cocoa content and is also
certified kosher. They sell for $5.50 per pack of 24 candies.
Though we are not Jewish, my daughter attends a Jewish preschool.
This week, in preparation for Passover, her school has been sending home wonderful hand-outs full of activities on how
to celebrate and honor this holiday.
My favorite hand-out, of course, was the one with five pages of
Passover recipes including these matzah recipes. These would be fun to do with kids if you've got 'em.
Melt chocolate and margarine over low heat. Stir to prevent burning. Break matzah into pieces and stir into
chocolate. Cover a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Pour chocolate matzah mixture onto waxed paper. Cover with another
sheet of waxed paper and flatten with a rolling pin. Refrigerate. When mixture hardens, peel off waxed paper and break
chocolate into pieces.
Certainly there are lots of lovely Jewish treats and sweets to be had, but on Passover, with the restriction on
leavening agents, desserts could face a leaden doom. And since the dietary restrictions during Passover
actually excludes all grains like wheat, rye, barley, spelt, and even rice, you're looking at some very creative
baking with matzoh.
Be not dismayed! Flourless cakes can taste good too! In fact, you can even relax (after you've rolled
and shaped 200 matzoh balls, of course) if you order from Francois
Payard's Patisserie in New York. Payard offers a selection of sweets that are kosher for Passover - Parisian
macarons, Passover petit fours, chocolates, truffles, flourless cookies, and flourless lemon almond and chocolate
almond cakes. If you're not in New York City, you can ever order and have
them shipped (only the chocolates, truffles and cakes are available for shipping, though.)
Pork is the most widely consumed meat in the world, in spite of the fact that its consumption is heavily 
Today, the board of health in New York is 
Kosher food is a new 
The other day I tried a bottle of a great new soda. At least it was new to me. Turns out it's been around for a couple of years. I came across 
A few months ago I read a short piece on kosher wines. I had been keeping my eye on them over the years because most people think of them as those overly sweet concord grape wines that tasted more like candy than wine. I'm not Jewish, but have quite a few friends that are, and I live in an area with a high population of those who try and stay kosher. Now kosher wine is hitting the big time. A few months ago I became friends with one of the distributors of kosher wines and spirits in my area and we've been planning on getting together soon so I can sample them. Well, yesterday I was at KosherFest, a kosher food and beverage trade show, and was amazed at how many high quality kosher wines are out there. In the next few weeks and months I will be reviewing wines of all types, but with the holidays coming I wanted to give a heads-up on a 
Honey is a symbol of the sweet year ahead during the Jewish New Year, 
Trucking info website Layover.com recently ran a 
Worried about 
Though we are not Jewish, my daughter attends a Jewish preschool.
This week, in preparation for Passover, her school has been sending home wonderful hand-outs full of activities on how
to celebrate and honor this holiday.
America's Most Hated Foods
Slashfood Ate (8): Ways to create the perfect cheese plate
A good trick for saving summer herbs for future use
