Kosher USA: How Coke Became Kosher and Other Tales of Modern Food (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History)

"The history of how a set of ancient laws and regulations adapted to modern practices of American food production and foodways"--;Prologue: Uncle Stu's question -- 1. My family's sturgeon -- 2. Kosher coke, kosher science -- 3. The great jell-o controversy -- 4. Who says it's kosher? -- 5. Industrial kashrus -- 6. Man-O-Manischewitz -- 7. Harry Kassel's meat -- 8. Shechita -- Conclusion: Kosher ethics/ethical kosher? -- Epilogue: Remembering, discovering, thanking. Kosher USA follows the fascinating and surprising journey of kosher food through the modern industrial food system. Drawing on episodes from the lives of the author's own family, it traces how iconic products such as Coca-Cola and Jell-O tried to become kosher; the contentious debates among rabbis over the incorporation of modern science into Jewish law; how Manischewitz wine became the first kosher product to win over non-Jewish consumers (principally African Americans); the techniques used by Orthodox rabbinical organizations to embed kosher requirements into food manufacturing; and the difficulties encountered by kosher meat and other kosher foods that fell outside of the American culinary consensus. With stories about the key figures in this process, " Kosher USA" presents a tale of great accomplishments and stubborn limitations. Drawing on a range of sources, Roger Horowitz's history is filled with big personalities, rare archival finds, and surprising influences: the Atlanta rabbi Tobias Geffen, who made Coke kosher; the lay chemist and kosher-certification pioneer Abraham Goldstein; the kosher-meat magnate Harry Kassel; and the animal-rights advocate Temple Grandin, a strong supporter of "shechita." By exploring the complex encounter between ancient religious principles and modern industrial methods, this book adds a significant chapter to the story of Judaism's interaction with non-Jewish cultures and the history of modern Jewish American life, as well as American foodways. Kosher USA follows the fascinating journey of kosher food through the modern industrial food system. It recounts how iconic products such as Coca-Cola and Jell-O tried to become kosher; the contentious debates among rabbis over the incorporation of modern science into Jewish law; how Manischewitz wine became the first kosher product to win over non-Jewish consumers (principally African Americans); the techniques used by Orthodox rabbinical organizations to embed kosher requirements into food manufacturing; and the difficulties encountered by kosher meat and other kosher foods that fell outside the American culinary consensus. Kosher USA is filled with big personalities, rare archival finds, and surprising influences: the Atlanta rabbi Tobias Geffen, who made Coke kosher; the lay chemist and kosher-certification pioneer Abraham Goldstein; the kosher-meat magnate Harry Kassel; and the animal-rights advocate Temple Grandin, a strong supporter of shechita , or Jewish slaughtering practice. By exploring the complex encounter between ancient religious principles and modern industrial methods, Kosher USA adds a significant chapter to the story of Judaism's interaction with non-Jewish cultures and the history of modern Jewish American life as well as American foodways. The History Of How A Set Of Ancient Laws And Regulations Adapted To Modern Practices Of American Food Production And Foodways-- Uncle Stu's Question -- My Family's Sturgeon -- Kosher Coke, Kosher Science -- The Great Jell-o Controversy -- Who Says It's Kosher? -- Industrial Kashrus -- Man-o-manischewitz -- Harry Kassel's Meat -- Shechita -- Kosher Ethics/ethical Kosher? -- Remembering, Discovering, Thanking. Roger Horowitz. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Roger Horowitz is a food historian and director of the Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society at the Hagley Museum and Library. He is the author of Negro and White, Unite and Fight: A Social History of Industrial Unionism in Meatpacking, 1930–1990 (1997) and Putting Meat on the American Table: Taste, Technology, Transformation (2005). BUS070120,Business & Economics/Industries/Food Industry,SOC049000,Social Science/Jewish Studies "The history of how a set of ancient laws and regulations adapted to modern practices of American food production and foodways"-- Provided by publisher