Kosher certificate supervised by R. Meyer Simon Bar-Hen
Observing a kosher diet goes beyond simply abstaining from pork and seafood. Its rules are numerous and complex. To sum it up, Jews can only eat mammals that chew the cud and have cloven hooves; fish having both fins and scales; and birds that have a crop, an extra finger and a gizzard that can be peeled, and that are not a bird of prey.
Another important factor is the shechitah, the ritual slaughtering. There are at list five issues that make a potentially kosher animal taref, that is, not allowed. Similarly, it is important for the knife used by the shochet to be suited for the size of the animal (at least twice as long as the animal’s neck is wide; not so long that its weight is deemed excessive), and to have a sharp blade without notches or imperfections. Blood has to be drained and burried as the Torah teaches that the blood is the life (Deut. 12:23). Once slaughtered, we check that all inner organs are healthy, with no signs of illness, tearing or broken bones. Another important requirement is that during the process the animal does not suffer, dying of a straight, clean cut.
If you thought that was all, kosher meat can become non-kosher when cooked in a pot previously used for non-kosher meat or even for dairy products, since one of the principles of kashrut is the prohibition of mixing dairy and meat.
Finding kosher products in a regular supermarket in Barcelona is not an easy task. One should always check the list of non-kosher additives and emulsifiers.
Additionally, you can download a useful app for this matter, Kosher App Spain.
Click here for Google Play
Click here for Apple
For your convenience, Barcelona offers several kosher restaurants.
Maccabi
La Rambla, 79
phone: +34 93 317 95 45
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Not far from Maccabi you’ll find Shani’s Falafel Vegano, the best falafel in town, in the famous Mercat de la Boqueria (straight on the right side as you enter)
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