By By Rabbi Gavriel Price
Although the production facility at Takara Sake is modern, the process for making sake is traditional. Sake is rice wine, and to develop the delicate flavor profile that reflects high quality sake, considerable care must be given to maintaining the long-perfected methods that Takara Sake brought over from Japan.
The process starts out with steamed rice, which is fermented using a Japanese method that induces the rice grains to yield desired flavor notes. Traditional sake does not have any additional flavors other than those native to rice. The finished product is crisp, clean, and powerful. Takara Sake has added to its traditional sake product line apple, lychee, and other flavors.
By Rabbi Avrohom GordimerHalacha states that milk from a tereifah animal – meaning an animal which suffers from a mortal wound, as understood by Chazal – is non-kosher. (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 81:1) This prompts a good question: How can one know whether or not the milk he consumes is from a tereifah cow?
By Rabbi Dovid Bistricer
The etymology of the word perfume is of Latin origin, and is a hybrid of two words “per fume”, which means “through smoke”. Perfumes were first created in the Middle East many centuries ago, and eventually spread its way throughout Europe. Today perfumes are an integral part of the booming cosmetics industry.
By By Rabbi Dovid Bistricer
Coffee is perhaps one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. Its history can be traced back as early to the 9th century, and it is believed to have originated in Western Ethiopia. In fact, some suggest that the name coffee might come from Kafia, an Ethiopian city. The popularity of coffee is known to have spread to European countries by the 17th century and eventually made its way to the American colonies. It is somewhat interesting to note that coffee was not well received initially in America. The popularity of coffee grew during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, when the country experienced a tea shortage. Today, coffee is a very popular beverage in the United Sates, as well as the rest of the world.
By Rabbi Brun-kestler
As we approach the Purim season, we can be thankful that today there are many reliably kosher-certified brandies, cognacs and liquors on the market. Let’s examine the kashrus issues of distilled wine spirits.
By Rabbi Dovid Bistricer
The author of this article, and the Orthodox Union, do not endorse smoking. Indeed, we shall see below that many contemporary poskim opposed smoking altogether. However, some earlier authorities did discuss various aspects of smoking. The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with information about the halachic aspects of smoking on Pesach, Yom Tov, and all year round.
By Bayla Sheva Brenner
A growing number of Americans across the country are becoming more health conscious and their shopping carts are showing it – packed with organic produce; soy franks and burgers; spelt bread and pretzels; and a variety of vitamins and herb products.Today’s national supermarket chains are responding to this wholesome trend, featuring an expanding vitamin and herb section with multiple shelves of every combination, brand and potency. Thanks to the foresight and business acumen of a number of major vitamin companies, more and more kosher customers are frequenting these supplement sections, happily perusing an assortment of OU kosher brands.Words like antioxidant, ginkgo biloba, and glucosamine have made it into the kosher community’s vernacular, kitchen cabinets and daily nutritional regimen.
By Rabbi Andrew Gordimer
As the global marketplace becomes a local reality at the doorsteps of every consumer, more and more top-quality
European specialty products as never before imagined are increasingly available on these shores. While this is the case in general, it is especially notable in the kosher market, where kosher consumers now have neighborhood access to numerous overseas products that are renowned for their quality and branding across the Atlantic but were heretofore unavailable on this side of the Pond.
By Rabbi Moshe Zywica
The balance is a delicate one in an era when brand loyalty has diminished and tastes are ever more fickle.
The flavor industry has grown from rather humble origins in the mid-nineteenth century, when processed foods first came to prominence, into a $1.5 billion dollar industry that churns out 10,000 new flavors a year. For purposes of kosher certification, chemicals and natural ingredients the raw components of a flavor are divided into three categories: natural, non-kosher, and “in between.” The natural category includes tea, cocoa powder, honey, lemon oil and other inherently kosher materials, as well as chemicals derived entirely from natural sources, such as heliotropin, a transmutation of petroleum.
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