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by Reb Chef Lemeil
kosher: Food prepared according to a set of often complicated Rabbinical and Biblical dietary laws. Under kosher laws, certain foods may not be eaten, such as pork or shellfish; meat and diary may not be eaten at the same meal; and animals must be slaughtered in a special way.
treyf: The opposite of kosher. Food which would otherwise be kosher can become treyf if certain rules of preparation are not followed.
fleishig, milchig, pareve: Meat, dairy, and neutral. The three major food groups of kosher food. Meat and diary cannot be eaten together, but either may be eaten with pareve, unless the pareve was cooked in a meat dish on Sunday. But if the dairy was on top and if both were not hot then... (etc.)
schmaltz: Chicken fat. Although it sounds corny, schmaltz is used instead of butter for cooking in kosher meat dishes.
matzoh: Unleavened grain used to make delicious balls served in soup, or eaten at Passover, when leavened bread is not permitted.
Purim: Religious holiday during which everyone is supposed to become drunk and confused.
witz: Yiddish word for joke.
gefilte fish: Ball made of ground fish, served in a jar. Basically a fish version of Spam. Treated by some as a delicacy; by others as disgusting.
schechita: The act of ritual slaughtering that will render an animal (or vegetable?) kosher.
menorah: Candelabra with 9 candles used during Hannukah. The tall candle is always lit, and is used to light the others, one candle for each day. |
