Kosher recipe laws are rather wide. Some are taken directly from the bible and others through rabbinic interpretations over the years.
Any food can be called kosher food if it is in compliance to Jewish law, or halacha. Conversely, foods normally named as “Jewish” are not necessarily kosher. Kosher food is food which meets Jewish dietary laws, or kashrut, that comes from the Hebrew word for “fit” or “proper.” Jewish diet is generally that food that is traditionally Jewish. Kreplach, cholent, kugel, latke, and kishka are all traditionally Jewish diet, but if they are not made in accordance with kashrut, they will not be kosher food.
The word “kosher” is not only used for dishes, however. Kosher generally means that something meets all the Jewish legal guidelines. The word has even gained a place in American slang to mean appropriate, legitimate, or proper. Instead of saying “that’s not right,” one might say “that’s not kosher.”
