Kashrus Kurrents, Winter 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our numerous sojourns through Galus<\/em> not\nonly defined and influenced the minhagim<\/em> emerging from those foreign\nlands, but also infused our cuisine with bursts of ethnic diversity \u2013 pierogi<\/em> and cholopshkes<\/em> from\nPoland, couscous and harira from Morocco, goulash and strudel from Austro-Hungary,\nand gravlax from Scandinavia. Our seudos<\/em> feature dips from around the\nworld \u2013 schug<\/em> from Yemen, hummus from the Levant, guacamole from Mexico,\nand matbucha from Morocco. As our migration advanced to the shores of the goldene\nmedina<\/em>, kosher restaurants sprang up that offered consumers a bevy of\nethnic choices, from Chinese won ton soup and Italian calzones to Persian\nkebabs and Lebanese shawarma. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The latest entry to that diverse menu is the\nproliferation of sushi \u2013 a traditional dish from Japan \u2013 that has been wildly\nembraced by Jewish communities everywhere and is now nearly as popular as apple\npie (or potato kugel). It has found a place of prominence in virtually every\nkosher restaurant, wedding smorgasbord, and even the local pizza shop. Grocery\nstores, too, now carry sushi supplies, and with the establishment of a vibrant global\nmarketplace, we can now purchase reliably kosher certified ingredients for the\npreparation of sushi from Tennessee to Taiwan, and all points in between.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A sushi roll, or maki<\/em>, is a unique\ncombination of rice, seasoned rice vinegar, and thinly sliced raw fish and vegetables,\ntightly rolled in black sheets of seaweed called nori<\/em>. The four articles\nthat follow touch on the kashrus implications of the main components of maki \u2013 tuna,\nrice vinegar, and nori \u2013 along with the proper brachos<\/em> to make before\npartaking of this delicacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I. Something Fishy About Tuna<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Rabbi Dovid Jubiler,\nCape Beth Din Kashrus Administrator, South Africa<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n While sushi and sashimi don\u2019t get along too\nswimmingly with gefilte fish and schmaltz herring, we see these delicacies at\nmany simchas. These Japanese foods are becoming increasingly popular in the\nKosher market, but few people know just what takes place behind the scenes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We might think that because fish used in sushi\nis raw and uncooked, what could go wrong? Well, on the \u201cscale\u201d of things allow\nme to enlighten you about sushi fish production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares<\/em>), a\npopular sushi delicacy, is mainly caught in Southeast Asia and is sold\npredominantly from Chinese fishing boats. They employ long-line fishing in\ncontrast to a net method. When tuna is not designated for canning, this method\nis used in order to minimize bruising. Packed in chipped ice flakes, tuna is\nsold on auction to the highest bidder. Severe shortages of this overfished\nspecies and huge demand from the Japanese market drive the price up\nconsiderably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These factors of supply and demand contribute\nto the perpetration of industry fraud There\nhave been recorded cases of other fish being substituted and sold as tuna.\nThere have been instances where the accepted method of pas kaskeses<\/em>,\nleaving a skin patch on the deboned and skinned fillet, has been adulterated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These skilled perpetrators have cleverly\ndeveloped a method of sticking scaled skin patches onto the cuts. The enzymes\nin the meat\/skin and the subsequent freezing of the cuts cause the skin patch\nto appear to have been grown on the fish. In order to beat these scallywags at\ntheir own game, we check the tuna when it arrives at the factory \u2013 whole,\nunskinned, and fresh. We check that there is no other fish accessible in the\nplant at the time of kosher processing, and we confirm that what is packaged is\ncertified kosher tuna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As an imported product, the US FDA is\nextremely strict, testing that there are no nasty germs, histamines or\nparasites in this raw product. Did you know that after the tuna has been\nskinned and cut it is particularly prone to infection? Therefore, to help the\nproduct pass customs inspection with a clean bill of health, the manufacturer\nwill soak the fish in an antibacterial preservative solution which contains\nchemicals and disinfectants. The mixture (a powder mixed with water) also may\nact as a firming agent and flavor enhancer. The tuna is immersed in these\nsolutions for a prescribed amount of time to ensure that the meat of the fish\nis penetrated sufficiently to do its job. We make no assumptions! We carefully\ncheck that these solutions are reliably kosher certified, in spite of the fact\nthat the certified product is more costly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another cost-saving method of germ prevention\nis ethanol. Ethanol can be made from a variety of source materials that will be\nconverted into alcohol. In South Africa, the manufacturer will use the cheapest\nstarter material available. The raw product used to make alcohol is seasonal,\nand the cheapest one is the one that is most plentiful at the time. South\nAfrica enjoys a fruitful grape season; that which falls off the vine and not\nturned into wine is used to make ethyl alcohol. Alternatively, alcohol from\nSouth Africa can also be made from sugar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Often, there is a foregone conclusion that raw\nfish is automatically Kosher for Passover (KFP). Similarly, it is assumed that\nsugar-based ethanol is KFP. This may not be the case. To process sugar cane\ninto sugar, amylase enzymes are used to break down the sugar cane cells so that\nthere is greater yield for the alcohol manufacturer. This enzyme may be kitniyos<\/em>,\nor even chometz!<\/p>\n\n\n\n When certifying a KFP sugar production, we\nensure that the enzymes used are all KFP and that the enzyme starter materials\nare strictly KFP. In the case of\nPassover-certified tuna, we see that the sugar-derived alcohol has KFP enzymes\nin it when it is produced and that the ethanol is certified as KFP. Once all Passover conditions are met, we can\nthen also certify the tuna as KFP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another issue that we often confront when\nprocessing kosher fish is cross-contamination with treif<\/em> fish. Furthermore,\ndo you know that the nice smoked red color on your tuna sashimi (with a\nskin-patch) may be due to a red dye bath of carmine (a brilliant color stable\nred derived from crushed beetles)? We make sure that all colorants are reliably\nkosher certified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we supervise fish production in a common\nfacility, we segregate production and kasher<\/em> the factory and equipment\nto ensure that the plant is dedicated to kosher fish production. We confirm\nthat nothing is produced on Shabbos. When Bishul Yisroel<\/em> is necessary,\nwe light the smokers and make sure that there is no cross-contamination with treif<\/em>\nfish in the smokers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clearly, there are many operators who will\nhappily cut corners by spinning you a line. Don\u2019t fall hook, line and sinker\nfor the scam. Be an educated consumer and buy only kosher certified products!<\/p>\n\n\n\n II: Creating Rice Vinegar<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Rabbi Amos Benjamin,\nSTAR-K Kashrus Administrator, Director of Far East Operations<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n One of sushi\u2019s basic components is rice\nvinegar. Rice vinegar serves two purposes \u2013 it imparts flavor and it serves as\na preservative so that the sushi will not spoil. Unlike grain vinegar or apple\ncider vinegar that uses grain alcohol in the process, rice vinegar uses alcohol\nfrom a rice wine popularly known as sake<\/em>. In order to convert the rice\ninto alcohol, a mold known as koji<\/em> is used in the fermentation process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Are there any kashrus concerns in the\nmanufacturing of the koji mold, a basic component in the production of rice\nvinegar? Let\u2019s first take a look at what is involved in koji production in\nJapan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first stage of the koji process is to mix\nraw rice and cold water. The rice is then transferred to a pressure cooker,\nwhere it is par cooked. The rice at this stage is barely edible. It still has a\nlow moisture content and is nowhere near being fully cooked, so there would be\nno issues of bishul akum<\/em>. After cooking, the rice is ready to be\nconverted into the koji mold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The rice is seeded with koji extract, which\ncomes from a previously grown koji mold. The culture uses only rice, Aspergillus\noryzae<\/em> (a fungus which is inoculated into the rice), and water. The koji\nextract propagates the par cooked rice to create more koji. The rice is seeded\nwith the koji extract, transferred to wooden trays and left to culture for five\nto seven days at a temperature of 45\u00baC. Now the koji mold has spread and is ready for the next step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The molded rice is dried for two days with\nwarm air. The completed product is known astanakoji<\/em>. In order to produce\nthe other finished product, koji-kin<\/em>, the molded rice is passed through\na sifter to separate the mold spore from the rice. The spore powder is blended\nwith potato starch and is packed and ready to be used to convert the rice into\nsake (rice alcohol), which provides the basis for rice vinegar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a rice vinegar fermentation process, the\nrice\u2019s natural starch is converted into a sugar, similar to the malting process\nof barley; this occurs when the rice is mixed with water. The koji is then\nadded to the malted rice syrup along with other enzymes. The rice fermentation\nprocess converts the sugars into rice alcohol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sake alcohol is then separated from the\nsolid rice. The liquid sake is then ready for a second fermentation process,\nwhereby bacteria converts the alcohol into acetic acid (concentrated vinegar) \u2013\nin this case, rice vinegar. The concentrated vinegar is diluted with water to\n4.3% acidity and is ready to be mixed with sushi rice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bottom line: there is no issue of bishul\nakum<\/em> with the fermentation of rice and the production of rice vinegar\nmolds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n III: The Making of Nori<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Rabbi Tzvi Rosen,\nSTAR-K Kashrus Administrator \/ Editor, Kashrus Kurrents<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n What is nori? Let\u2019s begin with a dictionary definition: NO\u2022RI \/ n\u014dr\u0207<\/em>\/ \u2013 an edible seaweed eaten either fresh or dried in sheets<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nori is a form of algae, a simple organism\nthat grows in the water. Nori, in fact, starts its life on land, where the nori\nseeds are sprouted, before being taken by the nori grower out to sea to grow on\nnets. As the nori grows in the sea nets, it is possible for unwanted sea\ncreatures (e.g., seahorses) to get caught in the nori or in the nets. Once\ngrown to maturity, the nori is then harvested. This harvested nori is then\nbrought into a manufacturing facility where it first undergoes a visual\ninspection to remove any hidden marine life or unwanted seaweed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, the nori is washed and filtered to\nremove sand and other debris. After the nori is softened, it goes through a\nsecond filter. The seaweed is cut, shaped, and pressed down into shaping boxes.\nIt is pressed to remove excess water and is formed into sheets, whereupon the\nnori is dried for two hours at 50\u00baC. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Upon completion of this first drying process, the\nnori is separated from its shaping boxes and transported to a computerized\noptisorter that inspect the sheets for abnormalities in color and texture. If\nan unwelcomed seahorse were to pass through the filtration systems and baking\nprocess, it would be spotted by the optisorter on the line and the nori sheet\nwould be discarded. It should be pointed out that the optisorter is not\ninfallible. Kosher nori requires a mashgiach\u2019s trained eye to spot unwanted\ncrustaceans. Once the nori passes inspection, the sheets are boxed for a second\ndrying in an electric oven at 80\u00baC to toast them for a crisper finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IV. Brachos<\/em> on Sushi\nRolls<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Rabbi Mordechai\nFrankel, Director, Insights from the Institute<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The general rule for a dish with numerous\ningredients is to recite a bracha<\/em> on the primary ingredient (the ikar<\/em>)\nand not on the secondary ones (the tafel<\/em>). If the dish does not contain\nany of the five types of grain, the ingredient of which there is the largest\nquantity will generally be considered to be the primary ingredient. In the case\nof sushi, that ingredient would be the rice; but the more prestigious\ningredient is clearly the fish, which is considerably more expensive than rice.\nAs such, the fish would also be considered a primary ingredient. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition, the filling and rice are not\ncooked together, and they remain distinct. Thus, both the filling and rice are\nconsidered primary ingredients, and both necessitate a bracha<\/em>. The\nvegetables or fruit (such as avocado or mango) in the sushi roll are tafel<\/em>\nto the other ingredients and do not require a bracha<\/em>. Similarly, the\nnori does not require a bracha<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For this reason, Rav Heinemann shlit\u201da<\/em> paskens<\/em>\nthat one should first recite Mezonos<\/em> on the rice, and then She\u2019hakol<\/em>\non the fish. A suggested way to do this would be to unroll one of the rolls and\nmake the separate brachos<\/em> on the rice and fish. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Kashrus Kurrents, Winter 2022<\/p>\n Our numerous sojourns through Galus not The latest entry to that diverse menu is the
\nonly defined and influenced the minhagim emerging from those foreign
\nlands, but also infused our cuisine with bursts of ethnic diversity \u2013 pierogi and cholopshkes from
\nPoland, couscous and harira from Morocco, goulash and strudel from Austro-Hungary,
\nand gravlax from Scandinavia. Our seudos feature dips from around the
\nworld \u2013 schug from Yemen, hummus from the Levant, guacamole from Mexico,
\nand matbucha from Morocco. As our migration advanced to the shores of the goldene
\nmedina, kosher restaurants sprang up that offered consumers a bevy of
\nethnic choices, from Chinese won ton soup and Italian calzones to Persian
\nkebabs and Lebanese shawarma. <\/p>\n
\nproliferation of sushi \u2013 a traditional dish from Japan \u2013 that has been wildly
\nembraced by Jewish communities everywhere and is now nearly as popular as apple
\npie (or potato kugel). It has found a place of prominence in virtually every
\nkosher restaurant, wedding […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[224,27,225],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kashrus-kurrents-2022","category-kashrus-kurrents","category-winter-kashrus-kurrents-2022"],"yoast_head":"\n