NUTR-2160 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Kashrut, Passover Seder, Sephardi Jews
19 May 2019
School
Department
Course
Professor
Food & Religion
What is Religion?
● The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God
or gods.
● A particular system of faith and worship.
Western Religions
● Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are most prevalent religions
● Originated in the Middle East
● Equated with the worship of a single God and the belief that the God is powerful and
wise.
● This life is a time of testing and a preparation for life everlasting
Eastern Religions
● Hinduism and Buddhism- Developed in India
● They do not teach that God is the lord and maker of the universe
● Instead, the principal goal is deliverance, or liberation of the immortal human soul from
the bondage of the body.
Judaism
● History- 4,000 years old
● Hebrew Bible- The cornerstone of the Jewish religion.
● The Torah Chronicles- Part of the Hebrew Bible, describes the right way to prepare food,
give to charity, and conduct one’s life in all ways.
● Kashrut, the Jewish Dietary Laws
○ Foods Jews eat reflect the regions where their families originated
■ Ashkenazi – Germany, eastern Europe foods
■ Sephardic Jews – southern Europe, Middle Eastern countries foods
■ Jews from India – South Asian foods
■ Other- All Orthodox and many Conservative Jews follow dietary laws,
kashrut.
● Kosher or kasher means “fit”; popular term for Jewish dietary laws and permitted food
items
● Kashrut is a religious pillar concerned with the fitness of food
● Passover seder is a ceremony carried out at home
○ Items on the seder plate
■ Z’roah – roasted shank bone
■ Beitzah – roasted egg
■ Marror – bitter herbs
■ Haroset – mixture of chopped apple, nuts, cinnamon, and wine
■ Karpas – green vegetable
■ Special decorated cup
Categories of Jewish Dietary Laws Governing the Use of Animal Foods
● Which animals are permitted for food and which are not
● Method of slaughtering animals
● Examination of the slaughtered animal
● Forbidden parts of a permitted animal
● The preparation of the meat
● The law of meat and milk
● Products of forbidden animals
● Examination for insects and worms
Jewish Religious Holidays
● The Sabbath- The day of rest; all cooked meals must be prepared before sundown on
Friday because on fires can be kindled on the Sabbath.
○ Common foods served- Challah, a braided bread; fish or chicken; cholent, a bean
and potato dish; and pudding, made with noodles.
● Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights- Celebrated for eight days, usually during the month of
December.
○ Traditional foods- Potato pancakes, called latkes. Other foods- Cooked in oil-
doughnuts
● Purim- A joyous celebration that takes place in February or March, commemorates the
rescue of the Persian Jews.
○ Feast- Good amounts of meat and alcoholic beverages; hamantasch- triangle
shaped pastries filled with poppy seeds or fruit jams from prunes and apricots;
purim kreplach- pastry stuffed with seasoned meat or cheese; fish cooked in
vinegar, raisins, and spices; purim challah- a sweet bread with raisins.
● Passover- Eight-day festival of spring and of freedom; it occurs in March or April;
celebrates the anniversary of the Jewish exodus from Egypt.
○ The menu includes-Chicken soup, matzo balls, and meat or chicken
○ Foods to avoid- foods with leavening process or come in contact with leaven
foods. These are wheat, barley, rye, and oats. No beans, peas, lentils, maize,
millet, and mustard. No use of leaving agents, malt liquors, or beers.
● Rosh Hashanah
● Sukkot, Feast of Tabernacles
● Shavout, Season of the Giving of the Torah
Nutrition Status
