Friday, November 8, 2013

Food And Kosher MRE Products

By Alyce Powell


It has long been wondered what exactly is Kosher MRE meals. MRE is an abbreviation for meals ready to eat and have found their place in the army and other public services. They are meals that are prepacked and are Kosher and carry the Rabbinical approval stamp that they have been prepared within the constraints of Jewish Law.

Kosher is simply a method in the way animals are slaughtered or how food is processes. This method of slaughtering animals has been around for thousands of years and food that has gone through the kashrut process is eaten predominantly by people of Jewish denomination. There is a certain way that meals are prepared under the auspices of the Beth Din or rabbinical court.

A person who is involved with this process of food stuffs is called a mashgiach. Basically he or she must be Jewish and must abide by the laws of the old testament. Slaughtering is done different and is carried out in a ritual fashion with prayers before commencement of the actual slaughtering. A certain length blade is used and this instrument must be free of any kinks in it so as not to harm the animal excessively.

This means that when food is prepared such as meat packaged products, they are prepared separately from milk products and more practically speaking when foods that contain meat or milk are prepared that the other is not prepared at the same time. This also means that separate cutlery, crockery and cooking utensils are used explicitly for meat when preparing meat and vice versa. These are instructions that are given by the Jewish Rabbinical court or as it is more commonly referred to as the Beth Din.

Where the food ends up is on the plates of many a soldier and even those who prefer MRE meals when hiking. Apart from this in the Jewish home these laws are kept. They are quite simple really where dairy and meat products are kept separately in the kitchen.

In Jewish law only certain foods are kosher. This applies to fish species too and the general law is that fish with scales and fins can be eaten. The rest cannot.

When it comes to meat the verse thou shall not eat a calf in its mothers milk is the basis for many offshoot laws. What this means for most people is it offers an element of compassion for the animal itself in the way it is slaughtered and when it is consumed. You will never see a Religious Jew having a cheeseburger for example as this is in contradiction to this law.

It is law that must just be kept and is known as a Chok in the Jewish religion. It is one that is not questioned although much has been expounded on this subject. One such philosophy is that it teaches the human being to have compassion and this is noticeable in the way animals are slaughtered in a gentle manner whilst not bringing any trauma to the animal.

After this has been done the meat is salted to get rid of any excess blood that it contains. It is said that blood is the life giver to the body and in it is contained a projection of the soul of the animal. This is why kosher food is drained of excess blood.

Kosher MRE is USA based. They have served government and public departments for years. It is well worth while to make use of their products next time you decide to take time out for a hike in the mountains.




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