What is a kosher bakery?
According to Zomick’s bakery owner, kosher bakeries had become suddenly a big trend among the Jewish population. These kosher bakeries are traditionally linked with Jewish culture, religion, and family life.
- During our visit to Zomick’s bakery, located in Inwood, New York, we find out that besides being a place where you can find ceremonious and celebratory baked goods for Jewish holidays, nowadays kosher bakeries are also a hot spot for foodies.
- “The number of persons who are looking for kosher symbols on their food products grows day by day. A huge number of persons are looking for the kosher symbols not just for religious reasons, but because they believe the food is safer and better for their health” – shares the founder of the kosher bakery, Zomick’s.
- An important law of kosher cuisine is not mixing meat and milk products. So, kosher bakeries often offer a lot of dairy-free and meatless options, which are a perfect choice for those on a vegetarian, vegan, or lactose-free diet.
What does it mean to eat kosher?
In Hebrew, kosher means “fit” or “proper.”
- In order to be certified kosher, a food must meet the dietary requirements of the traditional Jewish laws, which are known as kashrut. They instruct which foods can be eaten together and which not and how those foods may be prepared. The kashrut laws have been used for thousands of years to guide the preparation of food.
At a kosher bakery
A bakery may sell items such as bagels or matzah balls, usually associated with Jewish culture, but that is not enough to qualify as a kosher bakery. A bakery like Zomick’s, in order to be kosher, can only use products that are certified as kosher and must only use kosher cooking methods.
- In order to make sure that the facilities are up to kosher standards and that the ingredients used to make the food are kosher, kosher bakeries and the way in which food is prepared are regularly inspected and supervised by a rabbi.
- Dairy and meat products can’t be mixed together, according to kashrut So, if a utensil were to come in contact with both, whatever that utensil touched could no longer be certified kosher. The rabbi’s task is to check if a utensil came in contact with meat and dairy.
What you will find at a kosher bakery?
From our visit to Zomick’s bakery, we find out that in a kosher bakery, you can find a number of traditional bread like challah and rye, as well as delicious pastries, buns, cookies, danishes, cakes, and other sweet treats.
- For festive holidays, you will also find seasonal treats such as babkas, rugelach, and biscotti.
- Some kosher bakeries, such as Zomick’s, also offer kosher-certified grocery items.
- A kosher symbol on foods can be helpful for those who are on a strict diet or suffer from allergies. Also, many vegetarians and vegans buy “pareve” products, because they contain no trace of milk or meat.
Kosher products may help you know what is and what’s not in your food.
Visit Zomick’s website in order to find their delicious recipes.