Leviticus, ch. xvii. 10, 11:—“And whatsoever man there be of the house
of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any
manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth
blood, and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the
flesh is in the blood.”
When purchasing meat, care must be taken to see that all veins of blood,
forbidden fat, and the prohibited sinew have been removed. It is the
custom in London to affix a label marked “Porged” on joints from the
hind-quarters, which have been prepared in accordance with our
ordinances.
The following are the Jewish regulations for koshering meat and
poultry:—
The meat is put into a pan, specially reserved for the purpose, and is
then entirely covered with cold water, and left in it for half-an-hour.
Before removing the meat from the water, every clot of blood must be
washed off. It should then be put upon the salting board (a wooden board
perforated with holes), or a basket lid, placed in a slanting position,
so that the water may run off. Finely powdered salt is then sprinkled
profusely over every part of the meat. The meat must remain in salt for
one hour. It is then removed, held over a sink or pan, and well rinsed
with cold water three times, so that all the salt is washed off. Then it
is placed in a clean cloth, and thoroughly dried.
The heart and the lungs must be cut open before being soaked, so that
the blood may flow out. The liver must be prepared apart from other
meat. It must be cut open, washed in cold water, fried over the fire on
a shovel, and, whilst frying, it must be salted. When fried the blood
must be well washed from it.
The head and feet of an animal may be koshered with the hair or skin
adhering thereto. The head should, however, be cut open, the brain
removed and koshered separately. The ends of the claws and hoofs must be
cut off before the feet are koshered.
Poultry is koshered in the same way as meat, taking care that previous
to the soaking in water the whole of the inside be completely removed.
Footnote 1:
The word _kosher_ means “to render fit or proper for eating.”
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