What does kosher mean?

For millennia, Judaism has observed traditional religious dietary laws known in Hebrew as «kashrut». These laws define the preparation and consumption of foods and drinks. Simply put, foods are divided into two categories: permitted or kosher, and forbidden or non-kosher or «treife».

Kosher drinks

Wine, grape juice and certain spirits are only deemed kosher if the bottle displays kosher certification. According to certain interpretations of the dietary laws, milk is only defined as kosher if the milking and bottling are supervised by Jews. Water is kosher, as are numerous soft drinks that have undergone kosher certification, such as Coca-Cola and Red Bull.

Kosher meats

Special regulations apply in the dietary laws governing meat. The consumption of meat is only permitted if it originates from ruminants with cloven hooves, such as cattle or lambs, or from poultry. Pork and horse meat, among others, are not permitted. Mammals and poultry must be slaughtered and processed according to specific rules. This ritual slaughter is known as «shechita». Fish are kosher provided they have fins and scales. Seafood such as prawns, squid and mussels has neither fins nor scales and may therefore not be eaten.

Separation of meat and milk

A further characteristic of the dietary laws is the strict separation of meat and dairy products. Kitchens must therefore use separate dishes and cooking utensils for «meaty» and «milky» foods, including plates, cutlery, pots, pans and sponges. Meat and dairy products are cooked separately and may not be eaten together. After consuming meat products, an interval of several hours must be observed before consuming dairy products.

Kosher kitchen and koshering

Jews who observe the dietary laws more strictly depend on explicitly kosher restaurants or on having their own kosher kitchen. Before a kitchen can be used for the first time, it has to be made kosher, a process known as «koshering». This includes, for example, heating hotplates to remove any food residues or strictly separating the kitchen into «meaty» and «milky» areas. In third-party kitchens, such as rented holiday apartments, the hotplates are often covered with special aluminium foil or replaced by portable hotplates brought by the users themselves. For restaurants and hotels, adding kosher meals to their menus is highly demanding and only possible if all requirements are met and kosher certification has been obtained. As a result, kosher meals are generally available only in specialist establishments with explicitly kosher kitchens.

Kosher shopping

When buying kosher food, the so-called kosher lists offer valuable assistance. These lists are maintained and published by the individual Jewish communities in Switzerland. The rabbis of the communities are supported by the Community of Interest for Kosher Foodstuffs IGfKL and the Commission for Community Kashrut CCK. The responsible kosher officers inspect foodstuffs, make the necessary enquiries with the producers and make this information available to the rabbis for the preparation of their kosher lists. The kosher lists indicate which products available in Swiss supermarkets are kosher. Fruit, vegetables, eggs and grains are all classified as kosher. All other foods are checked for their ingredients and included in the kosher lists accordingly. Even a small amount of non-kosher ingredients is sufficient to render a product non-kosher. Some towns and villages also have specialist butchers selling kosher meat, kosher supermarkets or supermarkets with dedicated kosher sections.

Living a kosher life in Switzerland

The observance of «kashrut» varies greatly among the roughly 18,000 Jews in Switzerland and depends on the different religious traditions. Adherence to the rules ranges from very strict observance to complete disregard. Strictly religious Jews follow the dietary laws meticulously, whereas secular Jews observe them only partially or not at all. The SIG nevertheless aims to ensure that all members of the Jewish community in Switzerland have the opportunity to live a kosher lifestyle. It is committed in particular to kosher certification and to ensuring favourable conditions for the import of kosher products. In addition, the SIG provides residents and visitors alike with comprehensive information on kosher stores, restaurants and hotels in Switzerland through its website.