Eating Animals

This week’s Torah portion, Shmini, provides the basis for the many of the most well-known laws of kashrut, namely the prohibition on consuming specific types of meat. Interestingly, it presents those prohibitions in two different ways. When discussing both mammals and water animals, the parasha provides a series of general guidelines or rules. In the case of mammals, only those that have cloven hooves and chew their cud are acceptable. In the case of water animals, only those with fins and scales can be consumed. But when it comes to birds and flying animals, instead of providing general rules, the Torah instead elucidates only the prohibited animals.

The following you shall abominate among the birds—they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, and the black vulture; the kite, falcons of every variety; all varieties of raven; the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull; hawks of every variety; the little owl, the cormorant, and the great owl; the white owl, the pelican, and the bustard; the stork; herons of every variety; the hoopoe, and the bat. (Lev. 11:13-19, NJPS translation)

The text does not say anything about which fowl are acceptable to eat or why, but the practical assumption is that any not specified here are fine to eat. (Deuteronomy 14:11 later confirms that one may eat any “clean bird” although it does not provide any guidelines about what makes certain birds acceptable. The rabbis later attempt to derive practical rules in order to provide guidelines similar to those governing mammals and aquatic life.)

Many scholars, from Josephus in late antiquity to Mary Douglas in modernity, have tried to understand the root of these different laws. Were certain animals likely to cause illness? Were they associated with negative characteristics? Were they associated with pagan practices? Ultimately, the key thing that seems to connect these rules to one another, and to the broader themes of the parasha, are concerns with purity. At the heart of Leviticus are discussions of what it means to be a holy community, and at the heart of holiness is the idea of making distinctions. We know certain things are holy because we set them aside and treat them differently. Kashrut is a way to bring that practice of holiness - of heightening our awareness and making distinctions - into our everyday lives. After all, what occupies more of our consistent attention than cooking and eating and meal planning?

Recently, my children have become more aware of what it means to keep kosher. They have been asking me why they are not allowed to eat certain foods at school or at birthday parties. Whether you keep kosher or not, this parasha is a great opportunity to reflect with your children upon your family’s own food practices. Do you keep kosher? Are you vegetarian or vegan? Do you have allergies in your family? Do you have particular cultural foods that you love, perhaps connected to your ancestry or specific parts of the world? Why does your family eat the foods that you eat?

As you share with your children about your own food practices, it is also a great opportunity to talk with them about the fact that everyone has different food practices. Food is a huge part of social interactions, and if your family eats in ways that are different from some of their friends at school, chances are that even your very young children have already started to notice. You can explore these differences together by reading a book that engages with food cultures. For a fun story that touches on kashrut and unkosher animals, check out Baxter, the Pig Who Wanted to Be Kosher. For books about other cultural food practices, consider Fry Bread, or Cora Cooks Pancit. Our neighborhood library often has great books on these themes, so ask your local librarian as well!

“Summer Salad” with Chicken

To explore these themes of dietary law and food practices, this week, I’m sharing more of an approach to dinner than a recipe per se, but one which is near and dear to my heart: summer salad.

I turned to this family tradition in part because of my own relationship to eating meat. Since the parasha centers on rules about which animals are kosher or unkosher, it felt natural to make a meat recipe. But I had just made chicken, and I balked at the thought of making meat twice in one week. My husband and I were both vegetarians for several years, and while I will admit to a weakness for hamburgers, I just don’t like eating meat that often.

I’m also not a huge fan of leftovers, but I hate wasting food. This is often a problem for me on Shabbat, especially if we are hosting friends for Shabbat dinner. I always make too much food, because I want to make sure there is plenty for everyone, but then the leftovers tend to languish in our fridge. Enter the summer salad.

Growing up, we ate what my mom called “summer salad” all the time. It was less of a recipe and more of a basic equation. Take whatever vegetables looked delicious (or looked like they might go bad soon in the fridge) and throw them on a bed of greens. Add a protein (hard boiled eggs was a favorite, as was tuna) and some kind of carbohydrate (boiled potatoes or pasta were the norm). Mix it all together in bowl with your favorite dressing and you have a delicious and easy meal that is perfect for using up leftovers. This is also a great meal to cater to different tastes and preferences. My mom would put out the ingredients in different bowls, and we would each assemble our own plate. We would eat this on repeat all summer long; I never got tired of it, and a great salad is still one of my favorite meals.

To make your own summer salad, follow this basic formula: greens + veggies + protein + carbohydrate + spice/crunch.

Play around with different ingredients: mixed greens will make for a different kind of salad than chopped romaine. This is an excellent way to use up leftovers, so don’t be shy about throwing on some cooked veggies (roasted squash can be delicious!) along with some fresh ones. Use up leftover chicken or throw on a can of chickpeas for a quick vegetarian options. Try adding fresh herbs to your greens, or throw on some croutons, seeds, or crushed tortilla chips for a little extra crunch. If you don’t like to add grains directly to your salad, serve with a nice crusty bread or some challah.

My kids aren’t salad fans yet, but they will happily eat deconstructed summer salad. And it’s the perfect way to repurpose leftover chicken, so that you don’t feel like you’re eating the same meal twice.

For this meal, I did a bed of mixed greens, corn, cucumber, tomato, diced purple cabbage, avocado, and chopped leftover chicken. I added some pickled and candied jalepenos to add a little extra spice and flavor. This would have been great with some crushed tortilla chips for a little extra crunch, but we didn’t have any. Another favorite of mine is to start with a bed of greens, and throw on some chopped apple, cucumber, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, and leftover chicken. It’s great with a poppyseed dressing.

“Summer salad” started in my family as a solution to dinner when it felt too hot to cook, but it’s also perfect for Shabbat lunch or a leftovers night. And it’s never quite the same twice, which is part of the fun. What combinations will your family love? Enjoy!