Being kosher is not only a choice it’s a lifestyle. The word kosher means “proper or fit” and does not only apply to hygiene and not eating pork as many think. It comes from a verse in the old testament, which states that you shall not “boil a kid in its mother’s milk” from this comes the idea of not eating milk or dairy products with meat items, so no cheese burgers and the masses ideas of kosher (kashrut). Meat is only kosher if it comes from an animal that has split hooves and chews its cud and has been slaughtered in a humane way, by a person (shochet) who is qualified to perform this act. Kosher fish has to have scales and gills and shellfish like prawns and lobster are not kosher because they don’t have them and they are bottom feeders and scavengers.

Pretoria is not the easiest place in the world to keep kosher, however I have experienced worse. When I was in Poland for 2 weeks with my kosher friends we lived on boiled eggs and tinned tuna. In Pretoria there is a Spar in Groenkloof that stocks kosher products and a Pick n Pay in Brooklyn that does has a kosher bakery and butchery. However over Jewish new year and Passover most of the big Spars and Pick n Pays do stock kosher wines and matzah (non-leaved bread) but stocks are limited and almost every year my lovely mother asks me very nicely to please drive to Jo’burg to go shopping for Passover. In Jo’burg and Cape Town availability of kosher food is not such a problem and there are many kosher restaurants. Many of my kosher friends would love to come and eat at Prue Leith and eat the vegetarian dishes however I do have to explain to them that the equipment and utensils that are used are utilized for various other products as well, some of them don’t have a problem however most of them ask me to please come and cook for them at their homes. Maybe they just want a free dinner!

“When I was in Poland for 2 weeks with my kosher friends we lived on boiled eggs and tinned tuna.”

I grew up learning to cook in my grandmother’s kitchen in Cape Town. Sometimes having 30 people for a 4 course meal. Her kitchen has two sinks , two fridge’s, two freezers, two sets of crockery and cutlery however in a kosher kitchen you will always find a third and fourth set of crockery and cutlery and cooking utensils. These are only used for eight days a year over Passover and all food used at that time has to be especially kosher for Passover.

Being a kosher commi chef it places high limitations on what ingredients I can eat, however when you walk past me in hot kitchen, for some odd reason unknown to me, I am always working with pork or scallops! I would like to one day work in a kosher kitchen and own my own kosher restaurant, however till that day comes I do not mind working with traif items(non kosher) and see each experience as an opportunity to learn more skills.

By Isaac Gersowsky