Do Jews even now obstain from eating ham?
There is a group of laws pertaining to Kashrut, meaning those things that are clean aka kosher for us to eat. Here are the rules for something to be kosher, and I'm giving the Orthodox understanding. Conservatives are not quite as strict, and Reform Jews only eat kosher voluntarily.
First, there are only certain animals that are kosher, and certain ones that are not kosher.
We may eat animals that both have cloven hooves and chew their cud. The obvious examples are cattle, pigs, goats, and sheep, but we might also try more exotic animals such as giraffe. Pigs have cloven hooves but do not chew cud, so are forbidden. Rabbits chew their cud (or more accurately, they eat and ruminate their turds) so they are also not kosher.
Our seafood must have both fins and scales. That means that lobster, shrimp, crab, clams and oysters, and octopus are all out. It is worth noting that catfish, swordfish, and sharks are also not kosher because they do not have true scales that can flake off.
Birds that are commonly eaten are chicken, goose, duck, and turkey. Birds of prey and scavenger birds are forbidden.
Next, the animal must be kosher slaughtered. Only animals which are not sick, damaged, or deformed may be slaughtered. We have specialists trained in this. It involves using a super sharp knife to swiftly cut the throat including the windpipe and esophagus. This is believed to be an extremely humane way to slaughter, because the animal will bleed out so quickly that it will die in only a few seconds and not suffer.
After slaughter, the animal is bled. Its internal organs are inspected for signs of illness or abnormality. It is then washed and salted to remove any remaining blood.
Because Jacob's thigh was injured when he fought with the angel, we do not eat the hind portions. Brisket is in; top sirloin is out.
This whole process is supervised by a Rabbi and certification given. Many think the Rabbi says a special blessing, but no, that is not the case.
Finally, there is the prohibition of mixing meat and dairy. They may not be eaten together, cooked together, placed on the same table, washed together or stored together (some Jews even have two refrigerators and two sinks). We use two sets of dishes so that even the residuals will not cause cross contamination.
This means that for processed foods, there must once again be Rabbinical oversite and certification to assure that there was no mixing at the factory, or even the same vat or equipment used for both. A special symbol is put onto the packing stating that it is kosher. The most common are a K (for Kosher) or the O with a U inside (for Orthodox Union). If you look, you will see a kosher symbol on many breakfast cereals and other processed foods. Amy's is often the only kosher frozen food company that sells in mainstream grocery stores. Jews in Jewish neighborhoods have the luxury of stores that sell only kosher foods.
Restaurants must also be certified kosher, and almost always serve only meat dishes or diary dishes, although there are a few that have two kitchens and two dining areas.
Phew, I think I got it all. If I missed something by mistake, hopefully another Jew will add it.
