Having multicultural friends, and making them feel at home when they are with you, is a wonderful thing, and the way the majority of us like to spend our free time.
But, there are certain issues when it comes to such a gathering – you need to choose that food wisely, as there are maybe some people who have allergies or simply do not like a certain food, and this is ok.
It is important to know such information.
But there are those who have many strict rules regarding their food, and there are certain limitations regarding not only food but also many other things which are important for the lives of people.
When you are guests with Jews, or they are with you, it would be good to pay attention to the following rules of food preparation, known as kosher, which refer to what is good (allowed).
This is not such an easy task of course, but there are some common rules to follow of course, and if you do it in such a way, there should not be any problem.
If you are a guest, you don’t have to stress about what is permitted for practice but try at least not to insist on “impossible things” at the table, although they will forgive you for your thoughtlessness.
In the end, it is not much regarding the food but some other things, but if you can provide them with something they want then things are even better.
So, these are the common rules to follow when you have on your hands a dinner party with people who are Jewish or who simply follow this type of diet, as there are those who are choosing to eat this food, believing that is much cleaner than food that is not kosher.
Kosher food follows these rules: rabbit, pork, camel, and rodent meat are not kosher, because these animals do not have two characteristics: they are not ruminants and they do not have cloven hooves.
This is important to know, and never try to put such food items on the kosher table.
Birds must meet certain characteristics to be considered kosher food, and this is predetermined by laws, while fish must have scales and fins to be kosher.
Clams and everything else that lives in the sea, which is not fish, are not kosher.
Insects, of course, are not kosher, and there cannot be any doubt.
Let’s go further: meat and milk or meat and milk products must not be mixed (for example, cheese and ham!).
Kosher meat has to be obtained by a particular process, and it must be prepared by a special person, named a shochet.
The exact applies to wine and cheese, as this is the part that all Jewish people have to be a part of.
So, if you go to Israel or a Jewish part of the world, do not be amazed by the unusual customs that we have spoken of.
Make yourself free to purchase something and test it! It can be very nice, but also when you find yourself in some traditional Jewish restaurant never ask to mix pork or cheese, for instance.
Now, what happens when it comes to fish?
We have spoken of fish that is permitted based on these regulations, but not all fish falls under such category, and what is even worse is this – on the market, there are those who want to make some money and scam people, selling them food items that are not what they sell them for.
And when it comes to fish this is sometimes hard to know.
Here, in this piece, we will look more into the allowed fish according to the Jewish laws, and not only that – we will speak more of one particularly interesting fish – tilapia.
Is Tilapia Kosher?
Do you love tilapia?
Do you consume it regularly?
First of all, we must mention that the relevant circles regarding fish claim that there are more than 30 different kinds of tilapia, or which fall under such category.
Only in the USA, there are 7 different kinds, but some claim that there are even more of them.
And, if we add to this statistic something else – if we add the fact that there are some kinds of fish that are sold as tilapia but are something else, then we know that the choice is hard.
In all of this, we ask -can people who belong to the Jewish community, consume tilapia, and is it suitable for Passover?
But there are likely much more of them – and the straightforward answer here is that the most common type of tilapia is kosher, as it has scales and also fins.
It can be consumed for sure, and it is kosher fish.
It is by Jewish regulation that all fish that has fins, as well as scales, can be eaten as it is seen as kosher fish.
We can also add that the fish commercially marketed as tilapia suits this class and may thus be eaten in a Jewish house.
And, what is even more important is this – not like in the case of meat or poultry, fish does not need to be killed in a certain way to fall under this category, and it also does not need to be salted.
But why do some people think that they are eating something that may not be kosher – because they can be served with something that is just similar to tilapia and in fact, it is just a fish that resembles it?
And it does not have to be kosher.
Nonetheless, you must know that the fish that you are consuming is kosher, and you cannot ever eat fish that just looks like a kosher fish while in fact, it is far from it.
This is an easy way to make a mistake when it comes to kosher food; and in the fish market, it is very common for salespeople to replace the fish with the other which is barely similar.
And those who want to follow such a diet must make a choice.
Here are some rules that can help – you can only buy fish from a place that is underneath rabbinic oversight.
The second tip is to always buy fresh fish, and this is also true when it comes to tilapia, it has to also be unprocessed fish.
Choose one that has the scales connected, confirming that you are having a fish that is most definitely kosher.
Additional advice is to speak to the person who works in this place to clean the cutter neatly and to give you your piece of fish on clean paper.
When you come home, you should clean the fish and wash it under room temperature water.
Which kinds of Tilapia are suitable for Passover?
Ou symbol stands on Kirkland’s Frozen Tilapia, and you can consume it when you are in Passover.
But you have to rinse it before usage.
Also, Star-K- Frozen raw, all of their products are suitable for Passover.
These are some kinds that you can be certain are kosher, and among them, you can find tilapia for sure.
Of course, buy it fresh and prepare it at home for the best taste, and certainty that it is kosher.
More about Tilapia
Passover is coming and Jews around the world are preparing to have their food which consists of mostly protein foods.
And there is a lot of meat for sure, but maybe the better solution is to have more fish.
Some of the recommendations are: canned tuna, salmon cake, and also some fresh salmon, and all of this is so wonderful and tasty.
But those who know how to do it should always look for something more, and it can be tilapia.
Just in the USA, more than 470 million pounds of tilapia were consumed, and it is a much bigger number than before.
This fish has a mild flavor, and it is cheaper than some other kinds.
It is very low in fats and very high in protein percentage, and this is what you want, if you follow any diet, there cannot be any confusion that eating fish is good for you.
It should be on your table at least three times a week, or even more.
It is highly recommended to be consumed for your body, as it has many benefits for a human organism, as this is the type of fish that should be eaten when you have any heart or brain problems.
It can prevent many diseases, as it has omega-3 fatty acids.
FDA has proclaimed this type of fish as the cleanest out there as it has low contamination (mercury), and pregnant, or breastfeeding woman can consume it.
This is also one more thing to think about – just because you know that a certain fish is healthy, and tilapia most certainly is healthy, buying it organically, cleaning it at home, buying it from a place that is verified, this is the way to go for sure.
Conclusion
For the conclusion we will add a few notes that we have not spoken of prior, and that we believe are important for understanding true kosher food.
We know that tilapia is healthy, but what kind do you buy?
While experts say eating seafood on a daily basis as a component of a healthy diet can assist with weight loss steps, that’s only true if you select the right kind of fish—and cultivated tilapia isn’t one of those.
Most buy it because it’s cheap, but you get what you pay for.
The inflammatory possibility of cultivated tilapia is more elevated than burgers, donuts – even pork bacon!
You can improve your probability of being healthy, by just missing this farmed fish, which is loaded with omega-6 fats.
So we have established that this fish is healthy, but is it kosher, can those who follow such a diet consume it?
The answer is yes, they can consume it, but it is very necessary to buy the real deal, and not to buy something that just resembles this fish, as it can be done.
There are several kinds of fish that just look like tilapia but are not it; so you have to be careful when you buy this type of fish on the market, always look for the places which have all that is necessary.
Always buy food that is from a place that you know, and that has rabbi supervision, and also buy fresh fish, this is truly important to make sure it is kosher.
In the end, we will speak of one legend that contains this fish to Jesus.
It was said that this fish was Jesus’ fish. Or that it is one of the mythical kinds of fishes that are mentioned in one way or the other in all religions, and of course Christianity and Judaism.
The story goes like this – it was believed that this fish was captured in the Sea of Galilee by St. Peter.
After that, he has given it to the people of Tabgha, an old village in the northwest, by Jesus.
This is the explanation why Tilapia is also seen as “St. Peter’s fish”, and such contraction has stayed till this day.
What is your favorite recipe for this fish and how do you like to make it?
Read also: Is Salmon Kosher? / Is Swai Fish Kosher?
