Savvima Review & Giveaway of “Kosher Nation”
February 27th, 2011 Print
This post features:
- A Savvima review of Kosher Nation – Why More and More of America’s Food Answers to a Higher Authority by Sue Fishkoff.
- A chance to be entered to win a free copy of Kosher Nation by commenting below about a product you wish was certified kosher.
Have you ever wondered how millions of pounds of Dole lettuce are checked for bugs so that their packaging will qualify for a Star-K symbol? Or have you ever thought about how the gourmet dishes savored by hundreds of wedding guests are ensured to be kosher? Or perhaps you pondered how the chemical compounds produced in obscure factories in the Chinese countryside and make up the ingredients of many a kosher product are kosher?
In the recently published Kosher Nation – Why More and More of America’s Food Answers to a Higher Authority, Sue Fishkoff takes the reader on a fascinating journey into the belly of the billion dollar kosher food industry. Surprisingly, kosher certified products have become very popular among the general population. According to market research, one-third to one-half of the food in the typical supermarket is kosher and more than 11.2 million Americans regularly buy kosher food because it is kosher, not because it is a product they want that happens to be kosher.
Through extensive interviews with the leaders of the large and small kashrus agencies, food manufacturers, mashgichim (kosher supervisors), shochtim (ritual slaughterers), and kosher consumers, Sue provides a behind-the-scenes peek into the nuts and bolts that make up the kosher industry.
In Kosher Nation you will learn what it took for the Nabisco Company to make its legendary Oreo cookies kosher (albeit not Cholov Yisroel) and get a glimpse into the life of a mashgiach at the world’s largest production facility of fresh fruit and vegetables. You will travel to a juice plant in the Cascade Mountains, to the beautiful Napa Valley, California wine country and to meticulously clean manufacturing plants deep in China.
Readers will find a wealth of information, interesting to everyone but especially to those who observe kosher, about the recent history of kosher, the way kashrus agencies and their mashgichim operate, the evolving and expanding kosher supermarket and the bug-in-vegetable issue, among others.
Sue Fishkoff is the national correspondent for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and the author of The Rebbe’s Army: Inside the World of Chabad-Lubavitch which is also a great read.
Kosher Nation is available for sale online and at fine bookstores.
To be entered to win a free copy of Kosher Nation – Why More and More of America’s Food Answers to a Higher Authority, leave a comment below before this Sunday, March 6, with a product you wish was certified kosher.
Anything gummy! Gummy bears, gummy worms, Sour Patch Kids, sour worms…all of it. I want to eat them again!
Thai fish sauce! There used to be a kosher version available but it is not longer being made and oh how I miss it.
BTW: Kochava, all of the gummies (bears, sour worms etc) made by the Jelly Belly company are now certified kosher by the OU. I have seen them in many grocery stores so keep your eyes out and you may find them. I also love gummies and am so happy to have them back!
I wish there were more kosher restaurants serving international cuisine. There are quite a few Indian restaurants, but I would love to taste authentic Thai, Vietnamese, and Cuban food, to mention just a few.
All those Pillsbury biscuits and rolls that come “poppin’ fresh” in a can. Does a kosher version exist?
These are great!
http://www.immaculatebaking.com/product.php?id=29
Thanks, Lynn! But I couldn’t find any info on the site about the products being kosher. Did I miss it?
Pizza Hut in the USA. I love pizza hut pizza in Israel and would love to have a kosher version in America.
I wish there were more prepared things to help you cook like tomato paste in a tube.
i wish that skittles was kosher
This book looks incredibly interesting. Like Miriam R I wish there were more int’l restaurants, brazillian, thai, etc.
Why is it that Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Reese’s Pieces are the only chocolate candy without an Israeli / Chalav Yisrael version available?!
OMG what I would do for a Cholov Yisroel Reeses peanut butter cup
they are easy to make. I have a recipe on my blog for pareve ones (http://barefootandcooking.com/2011/01/dark-chocolate-peanut-butter-cups/)
to make them milchig, just swap out the bittersweet chocolate for your favorite milk chocolate.
Wasabi and pickled ginger!
Sushi Metsuyan makes bottled Pickled Ginger and Wasabi Powder. Many kosher groceries and online stores such as kosher.com sell this product certified kosher by the Star-K.
I’m still reeling from the year-long adventure of researching and writing this book. I have to tell you that some of the most interesting people I met were, ironically perhaps, the shochtim I interviewed –such soft-spoken, gentle men, who impressed me with their dedication to doing what they perceive to be God’s work. I can’t imagine doing what they do, and yet I’m happy to enjoy the fruits (meats?) of their labor. I also think it’s great that more and more young American Jews are having deep conversations about what it means to “eat like a Jew.” That’s what Judaism is all about.
Very inspiring.
Thanks Sue!
Whenever I see a wok recipe, I get excited, but then, going down the list, I realize that half the ingredients are not available in a kosher version. Fish sauce, pickled ginger, rice noodles, etc. are products that are difficult to find.
So many on my list:
swedish fish, fish sauce, fermented black beans, better restaurants, good curry pastes, gruyere cheese – to name a few.
Cinnabun!
Coming from New York and now living in Florida presents a major problem with keeping kosher and being able to eat out. Kosher restaurants do not seem to be able to stay open. Out of New York, or other large cities, have choice places. Your suggestions of recipes and other ideas make things easier to prepare for company or Shabbat. Keep up the interesting articles and suggestions. They DO make a difference in keeping kosher.
Taco bell, isn’t it sad after 16 yrs of keeping kosher the only food I miss is Taco Bell, not a gourmet meal, not an amazing bakery, but stinky ol Taco Bell
Panera Cafe!
or Pillsbury Cresents Rolls…
Sounds like a fascinating read. So does the book on Chabad. I’d like to see more chalav yisroel products. So many of the foods I want to try are not. Oreos, haagwn dazs etc
Soy-based fake meat/chicken
chewing gum!
I would love to see more ethnic foods with a hechsher – especially south american.