The best way to connect to the culture of a population is eating what they eat and let them prepare it. It is no different with Jews. Like in other areas of life, Jewish people live their daily lives according to strict rules regarding their dietary regulations. The rules of kosher eating go back a long way in history. The Torah, the oldest religious written record of Judaism, states what shall be considered kosher only, i.e. fit for consumption and ritually pure: land animals that chew their cud and have cloven hooves. In this sense, goats, sheep, chickens, turkeys, geese and ducks are kosher, but pigs, hares and camels are ‘treifs’ that is not in accordance with the law. However, it will not make kosher a food because it is made from mutton, for example. The prerequisite for kosher food is that the animal is properly slaughtered by the ‘shaker’, the Jewish butcher: the butcher shall use a sharp knife to cause the animal to suffer as little as possible and to bleed well. Bloody meat is not kosher in the least. Another important rule of kosher eating is that it is forbidden to consume milky and meaty foods at the same time. You shall wait at least 3-6 hours between eating the two types of food. Moreover, different dishes are prepared in separate bowls: a milky dish can never be prepared in a meat pot for instance.
Despite the strict rules, the Jewish gastronomy offers fanciful and truly unique food, so there is nothing left but to recommend a couple of the best kosher restaurants in the city of Budapest!