What is Kosher Food?

Kosher is from the Hebrew word kasher, which means "fit" and "proper". The term is usually used for food that Jews are permitted to eat under dietary laws that are derived from passages in the biblical books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy.

Some elements of Jewish and Islamic dietary laws are common, while some are not. Here are some major differences:

	Kosher	Halal
Blessing on animals For more information, please click here	Blessing before entering slaughtering area, not on each animal	Blessing on each animal while slaughtering
Gelatin from: Dry Bones Skin and Bones Fish Pork	Maybe From Kosher animals Kosher fish only Allowed by some liberal orthodox rabbis	Halal bones only From Halal animals Any fish Not allowed at all
Alcohol	Permitted, depending on source	Not permitted
Combining Dairy & Meat	Not permitted	Not an issue
Special Occasion	Additional restrictions during Passover	Same rules apply all the time

From an article by Dr. M. Riaz, Texas A & M University; minor adjustments by eat-halal.com

It must be noted that if a product is Kosher certified, it does not mean that the product is automatically Halal. While it is true that Kosher certification can be used as a tool for eating halal, one must be very careful. There are Kosher certification agencies which certify products and ingredients which are not considered Kosher by many Jews.

Reference: Eat-Halal.com