I have an Orthodox friend who got in big trouble with the Rabbi for putting vegan cheese on (Kosher) hamburgers at a Temple cookout.
On the other hand, I know other observant Jews who’ve said that that wouldn’t be a problem.
I always wondered if chicken & scrambled eggs would run afoul (pun!) of that rule - mother and child cooked together, ya?
Naturally, it’s Saturday, so I can’t ask today. :smack: Isn’t that one of the Laws of the Dope? “Thou shalt come up with questions about Judaism only on Saturdays, when most of the Jews are offline.”
Since the spirit of the question in the OP has been thoroughly answered, let me do the pedantic nitpicking part.
Nope. In culinary terminology, beef *broth *is made from the meat and has a strong flavor of the beast it was made from. Beef *stock *is made from the bones, as intentionally not very flavorful so it can be used in other foods without flavor conflict.
In most home kitchens, stock is made from both the meat and the bones, for stronger flavor and because it’s hard to get all the meat off, but a classic stock is bones only.
Yeah, I know. I actually just learned that not too long ago. For years I just never gave a lot of thought to the fact that, of course dairy cows have to have calves, and you have to do something with the little buggers. Duh! So I’ve been trying to get my head around making the switch to almond milk, etc. But milk and cheese are such an easy and tasty source of protein, and I’m rationalizing…
Most recipes I see call for just bones. I was under the impression that all cheeses were made with the rennet of a slaughtered calf when I made the post.
It may be, but unless the brewer assures you of this, you usually can’t know.
Most beers are filtered to remove yeast. If this isn’t done, the beer may be cloudy and/or taste yeasty. A number of different filtering agents can be used, one of which is isinglass, which is made from fish. A vegetarian beer will be made with a vegetarian filtering agent.
A second problem arises in some of the cheap and nasty lager beers, where starch products are added to create a bigger or more long-lasting head. Some of these starches are animal-derived.
And a third problem can arise in a few specialty beers which contain either honey or lactose. Fine for vegetarians, but not for vegans.
Seriously, beer? Fucking beer?! And… fish?! Really? Even before I went vegetarian (or, based on this thread I guess I should use sneer quotes, “vegetarian”), I thought fish was kind of nasty. Now you’re telling me my damn beer might be strained through fish! Gah! :mad:
But, whiskey, I’m still OK to drink whiskey, right? And gin? Life without a decent Old Fashioned or a Gibson now and then is too awful to contemplate.
Gah, indeed. Also, wine is typically fined with isinglass.
Whiskey is not filtered through isinglass, SFAIK. Your problem with whiskey, though, is that it’s matured in wooden casks which have previously been used for something else. Indeed, much of its distinctive flavour is derived from the Something Else. The result is that if you are going to preserve your Ethical Purity you need to know what the Something Else is, and to research the vegan/vegetarian status of that. The Something Else is often sherry; sherry is (mostly) not vegan because egg whites are employed somewhere in the process. And it’s often not vegetarian because isinglass. (Who would have thought that fish bladders could be so ubiquitous?)
Gin, though, you should be safe with. Knock yourself out! Just be careful what you mix it with. Also you are safe with brandy; it’s made from unfined wine. Avoid port.
I’d be interested in a chemist’s analysis of this. Can a firm line be drawn between broths that originated with an animal and one that originated from a vegetable? If so, what is the chemical difference, and how distinct is it?
da heck is non-vegetarian beer? Scrumpy? :dubious:
Beer is water, hops, barley, and… Wait… vegetarians have a problem with yeast?
If so, how do they deal with all the yeast on the surface of the fruits they eat, removing it humanely so it can be reintroduced to the environment? Peel it and throw the peelings on their compost heap?
Filtered with isinglass, as already described. Fish guts aren’t vegetarian.
If we’re keeping a list, most sugar isn’t vegan, either. It’s made pretty white with bone char somehow. I don’t know the process, but I know it uses bones.
UDS, I’m going to stop reading your posts now. Nothing personal, I’m sure you’ll understand. It’s just that you’re stripping all the joy from my life.
More seriously, that is really interesting information, and shows me how much of my ethics are balanced precariously on ignorance. It does go back to Left Hand of Dorkness’ excellent post about where you find yourself on the continuum. I don’t describe myself as a vegan, and I’ve never been particularly ideological or evangelical about vegetarianism in any case. But I do try to avoid things made with products that require killing. Your posts indicate that I may need to try harder, or at least not assume that something like beer (I mean, really, beer!) hasn’t been passed through fish guts on the way to my glass.
It isn’t just vegetarians who worry about this stuff. There are certified kosher products for anything that may come in contact with food or your mouth. Hand soap, dishwashing detergent, plastic bags, wood finish, etc. It all has to be certified free of animal products.
Re Alcohol
I never liked beer. I like Manishewitz. It’s grapes that are not suited for wine, plus a lot of sugar to kill the after taste of the grapes. I, tragically, don’t have a bottle at the moment, but IIRC Manishewitz is certified as parve (neither meat product nor dairy product)
Anybody know anything about mead?
I know honey is kosher (though bees are not). I know water is kosher. I know yeast is kosher. I don’t know of a mead that’s certified kosher though.
Let’s Not Forget Cosmetics!
Cochineal dye (AKA Carmine), made from the crushed shells of a species of beetle, is used not only in foods but also in cosmetics. That volumizing mascara with collagen? They get the collagen from bones and hooves.
A few years ago, I developed an intolerance to red meat. I love it. I miss it dearly. I also discovered Indian food. As almost everything in Indian cuisine involves dairy, I find it easier to order a vegetarian dish. (Just in case anybody doesn’t know, Jewish dietary laws forbid the mixing of meat and dairy. You can have cheese. You can have a burger. You cannot have a cheeseburger). My Primrose and I often go to Taj India. It’s a wonderful place that serves no meat of any kind. I often wonder why they don’t go that extra mile to be certified kosher. I know a few places in China town that are vegetarian and certified.
Blast! Now, I want a glass of Manishewitz and some badam halwa (semolina pudding with almonds. More delicious than it sounds.)