Freethought & Rationalism Archive

stephan huller · 10-07-2011, 06:51 PM

I hope people see this as a much lighter thread, one that won't degenerate into controversies. I bought a large Morton Salt dispenser (you know the kind that Morton Smith invented in order to complete his Mar Saba forgery) and I saw a large magen david splashed across the front of it with all these claims to be 'right for Passover' and the like. The problem is that I can't see why salt wouldn't be kosher. There is no dietary rules about the coarseness of salt (just another sign of the coarseness of Jewish life throughout the Middle Ages). There are no dietary laws about salt having to be coarse that I can think of.

Doesn't that make 'kosher salt' one of the biggest and phoniest ad campaigns ever? You'd think Jews would know that all salt is kosher. Who then is this stupidity aimed at?

Toto · 10-07-2011, 06:58 PM

Google is yr friend

Quote:

According to Morton Satin of the Salt Institute, the industry’s trade association, the name stems from the salt’s original use: to draw blood out of meat so that it meets the dietary rules set by Jewish law. (The Bible sanctions against ingesting blood and commands the use of salt to draw out the blood.) While table salt’s fine grains would disintegrate if slathered on a side of beef—potentially making for one very salty brisket—kosher salt’s larger crystals wouldn’t all dissolve. “Both the blood and salt wash off,” says Satin. The process is sometimes called koshering.

Kosher salt, like most mass-produced salts, does also happen to be kosher—that’s to say, it contains no additives and has been certified as kosher by a rabbi or an authorized organization. (To debunk one common myth, kosher foods do not receive a rabbi’s blessing.) Sometimes small producers don’t bother having their products certified. Salts that have been certified kosher are marked as such with a circled K or U on the label.

Bronzeage · 10-07-2011, 06:58 PM

Kosher is not just a matter of what is allowed of forbidden. It is also a matter of how it is handled and processed.

You can buy wine and you can buy Kosher wine. Kosher wine processing is supervised and certified by a Rabbi. Same goes for salt.

Toto · 10-07-2011, 07:02 PM

Chabad

Quote:

In truth, the name "kosher salt" is misleading. A better term would be "koshering salt."

Blood is not kosher. G-d commands us in the Torah:1 "You shall not eat any blood, whether that of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings." After a kosher animal is properly slaughtered, all blood must be removed. This is normally accomplished by salting the meat, as salt draws out blood. Table salt is too thin and will dissolve into the meat without drawing out the blood, and salt that is too coarse will roll off. The salt that is "just right" for koshering meat is called "kosher salt." Some people prefer to use it in certain recipes because of its consistency.

stephan huller · 10-07-2011, 07:05 PM

No it isn't the same for salt because there is nothing for the rabbi to supervise. Salt is pure. Toto's article is right but the name 'kosher salt' is still misleading. It should be called 'koshering salt' or something like that because there is nothing unclean about salt.

Bronzeage · 10-07-2011, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephan huller

No it isn't the same for salt because there is nothing for the rabbi to supervise. Salt is pure. Toto's article is right but the name 'kosher salt' is still misleading. It should be called 'koshering salt' or something like that because there is nothing unclean about salt.

No one said salt was unclean, but it can be handled in an unclean manner.

stephan huller · 10-07-2011, 07:14 PM

And look most of the salt that is supposed to be coarse really isn't even that much coarser than most table salt. Apparently there is some sort of rabbinical oversight of the production of salt! I just read it in this book. Apparently the Hasidim need to have their own rabbis watch over the production of this seasoning to make sure that it hasn't come into contact with anything impure! http://books.google.com/books?id=2uM...ssover&f=false

"Kosher salt for Passover produced outside the community is available, but it is not kosher enough for the Hasidim."

stephan huller · 10-07-2011, 07:18 PM

I just thought of another example of the misuse of the word 'kosher' - "kosher pickle." There is no such a thing.

Toto · 10-07-2011, 07:28 PM

Straight Dope on kosher pickles

Quote:

Some of the confusion about pickles, I suppose, arises from the assumption that the Torah doesn't have much to say about them-- pickles are, after all, basically vegetables, which the dietary laws don't cover. But modern science has stepped in to cloud the issue. Polysorbates, derived from animal fat, are sometimes added to the pickle brine as an emulsifier. Anything derived from animals, no matter how remotely, is covered by the laws.

Next you'll be complaining about my fair city's late lamented Kosher burrito. (Yes, you could get it with cheese.)

Sheshbazzar · 10-07-2011, 07:31 PM

The rabbi supervises to be certain that the product (in this case Koshering Salt) does not in any step or process become contaminated through contact with any 'ta-may' 'unclean thing' which would usually mean such things as having insects or mice landing on or walking over it under unprotected, unmonitored, or other unsanitary storage conditions.
If such were to be observed by a Torah observant rabbi that salt would no longer be deemed suitable for human (Jewish) consumption or food preparation.
That it has underwent inspection throughout its production and storage by a trained and certified kasrut rabbi is what earns it the distinctive circled K or U on the package.
Thus, there -in theory- could be 'Kosher Salt', uncertified and unmarked that would actually fail to be found 'kosher'.
A strict Torah observant Jew would be careful to only purchase those brands of 'Kosher Salt' that display the circled U or K identification, just as with any other packaged food item.

I know that this all seems silly, but devout Jews take it very seriously. And not without serious reasons. Vengeful anti-Semites might otherwise purposely contaminate unmonitored kosher salt with such things as pig-guts and such. One should never underestimate the hatred, evil, and depravity of the sons of Belial.

.

10-07-2011, 06:51 PM	#1
stephan huller Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: seattle, wa Posts: 9,337	Why is it Called 'Kosher Salt'? I hope people see this as a much lighter thread, one that won't degenerate into controversies. I bought a large Morton Salt dispenser (you know the kind that Morton Smith invented in order to complete his Mar Saba forgery) and I saw a large magen david splashed across the front of it with all these claims to be 'right for Passover' and the like. The problem is that I can't see why salt wouldn't be kosher. There is no dietary rules about the coarseness of salt (just another sign of the coarseness of Jewish life throughout the Middle Ages). There are no dietary laws about salt having to be coarse that I can think of. Doesn't that make 'kosher salt' one of the biggest and phoniest ad campaigns ever? You'd think Jews would know that all salt is kosher. Who then is this stupidity aimed at?

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10-07-2011, 06:58 PM	#3
Bronzeage Talk Freethought Staff Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Deep South, USA Posts: 7,568	Kosher is not just a matter of what is allowed of forbidden. It is also a matter of how it is handled and processed. You can buy wine and you can buy Kosher wine. Kosher wine processing is supervised and certified by a Rabbi. Same goes for salt.

10-07-2011, 07:05 PM	#5
stephan huller Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: seattle, wa Posts: 9,337	No it isn't the same for salt because there is nothing for the rabbi to supervise. Salt is pure. Toto's article is right but the name 'kosher salt' is still misleading. It should be called 'koshering salt' or something like that because there is nothing unclean about salt.

10-07-2011, 07:14 PM	#7
stephan huller Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: seattle, wa Posts: 9,337	And look most of the salt that is supposed to be coarse really isn't even that much coarser than most table salt. Apparently there is some sort of rabbinical oversight of the production of salt! I just read it in this book. Apparently the Hasidim need to have their own rabbis watch over the production of this seasoning to make sure that it hasn't come into contact with anything impure! http://books.google.com/books?id=2uM...ssover&f=false "Kosher salt for Passover produced outside the community is available, but it is not kosher enough for the Hasidim."

10-07-2011, 07:18 PM	#8
stephan huller Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: seattle, wa Posts: 9,337	I just thought of another example of the misuse of the word 'kosher' - "kosher pickle." There is no such a thing.

10-07-2011, 07:31 PM	#10
Sheshbazzar Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: On the path of knowledge Posts: 8,889	The rabbi supervises to be certain that the product (in this case Koshering Salt) does not in any step or process become contaminated through contact with any 'ta-may' 'unclean thing' which would usually mean such things as having insects or mice landing on or walking over it under unprotected, unmonitored, or other unsanitary storage conditions. If such were to be observed by a Torah observant rabbi that salt would no longer be deemed suitable for human (Jewish) consumption or food preparation. That it has underwent inspection throughout its production and storage by a trained and certified kasrut rabbi is what earns it the distinctive circled K or U on the package. Thus, there -in theory- could be 'Kosher Salt', uncertified and unmarked that would actually fail to be found 'kosher'. A strict Torah observant Jew would be careful to only purchase those brands of 'Kosher Salt' that display the circled U or K identification, just as with any other packaged food item. I know that this all seems silly, but devout Jews take it very seriously. And not without serious reasons. Vengeful anti-Semites might otherwise purposely contaminate unmonitored kosher salt with such things as pig-guts and such. One should never underestimate the hatred, evil, and depravity of the sons of Belial. .

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