Allowed Animals for Kosher
Ruminants with split hoofs that chew their cud, traditional domestic birds, and fish with fins and removable scales are generally permitted. Pigs, wild birds, sharks,dogfish, catfish, monkfish, and similar species are prohibited, as are all crustacean and molluscan shellfish. Almost all insects are prohibited such that carmine and
cochineal (natural red pigments) are not used in kosher products by most rabbinical supervisors. With respect to poultry, traditional domestic birds such as chicken, turkey, squab, duck, and goose are kosher. Birds in the rattrie category (ostrich, emu,and rhea) are not kosher as the ostrich is specifically mentioned in the Bible.
However, it is not clear as to whether the animal of the Bible is the same animalwe know today as an ostrich. A set of criteria is sometimes referred to in trying todetermine whether a bird is kosher. The kosher bird has a stomach (gizzard) lining that can be removed from the rest of the gizzard. It cannot be a bird of prey. Another
issue deals with tradition, for example, newly discovered or developed birds might not be acceptable. Some rabbis do not accept wild turkey, whereas some do not accept the featherless chicken.
The only animals from the sea that are permitted are those with fins and scales. All fish with scales have fins, so the focus is on scales. These must be visible to the human eye and must be removable from the fish skin without tearing the skin. A few fish remain controversial, probably swordfish being the most discussed
(Regenstein and Regenstein, 2000).
Most insects are not kosher. The exception includes a few types of grasshoppers, which are acceptable in the parts of the world where the tradition of eating them has not been lost. Edible insects are all in the grasshopper family identified as permitted in the Torah due to their unique movement mechanism. Again, only visible insects are of concern; an insect that spends its entire life cycle inside the food is not of concern. The recent development of exhaustive cleaning methods to prepare prepackaged salad vegetables eliminates a lot of the insects that are sometimes visible, rendering the product kosher and, therefore, usable in kosher foodservice establishments and in the kosher home, without requiring extensive special inspection procedures. Although companies in this arena go through a great deal of effort to produce an insect-free product, some kosher supervision agencies remain unconvinced and only certify those products (or particular lots) that meet their more stringent requirements (Regenstein and Regenstein, 1988). The prohibition
of insects focuses on the whole animal. If one’s intent is to make a dish where the food will be chopped up in a food processor, then one may skip the elaborate inspection of fruits and vegetables for insects and assume that the presence of insect parts does not render the food non-kosher. There are guidebooks describing which fruits and vegetables in particular countries need inspection;recommended methods for doing this inspection are included. Kosher consumers
have appreciated the use of pesticides to keep products insect-free as well as the use of prepackaged vegetables that have been properly inspected. Modern IPM (integrated pest management) programs that increase the level of insect infestation in fruits and vegetables can cause problems for the kosher consumer. Examples of problems with insects that one might not think about include insects under the
triangles on the stalks of asparagus, under the greens of trawberries, and thrips on cabbage leaves. Because of the difficulty of properly inspecting them, many orthodox consumers do not use brussel sprouts (Regenstein and Regenstein, 1988).