Kashrus glossary

Smooth-lung meat — a stricter standard for kosher beef and lamb.

After slaughter, the animal's lungs are inspected for adhesions (sirchot). If the lungs are clean enough that the inspection passes a stricter bar, the meat is called *glatt*. Most observant Ashkenazi Jews eat only glatt meat; some Sephardic standards require an even stricter bar known as *chalak*.

See also: chalak, shechita

Dairy supervised by a Jew from milking through production.

Halachah requires a Jew to be present at milking (or to verify it through a continuous chain) to ensure no non-kosher milk is introduced. *Chalav Stam* is dairy that doesn't meet this bar but is widely accepted by some authorities (R. Moshe Feinstein's heter) on the assumption that government oversight is reliable. Many observant Jews — especially those of chassidish or yeshivish background — eat only Chalav Yisrael.

See also: chalav stam

Bread baked with Jewish involvement.

Halachah considers bread baked entirely by non-Jews to be problematic. *Pas Yisrael* means a Jew has at least minimally participated — typically by lighting the oven — and is considered preferred. *Pas Palter* is commercial bread that doesn't meet this bar; many Jews accept it day-to-day but prefer Pas Yisrael during the *Aseret Yemei Teshuvah* (the ten days from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur).

Cooking with Jewish involvement.

Many foods that require cooking, when cooked entirely by a non-Jew, fall under the rabbinic concern of *bishul akum*. To address this, a Jew typically lights the fire (Sephardic standard) or the Jew briefly participates in the cooking (Ashkenazi standard). The Bishul Yisrael standard is especially common in Sephardic communities.

See also: bishul akum

Flour from grain harvested before the previous Passover.

Halachah forbids consuming new grain (*chadash*) until after the second day of Passover, when an offering called *omer* would have been brought. Outside of Israel, this restriction is often not observed by all communities, but those who do follow it look for the *yoshon* designation.

See also: chadash

A full-time, on-site kosher supervisor.

A *mashgiach* is anyone certified to supervise kosher food production. *Mashgiach temidi* specifically means the supervisor is present continuously while the venue is operating, rather than only making periodic visits. Stricter venues — especially meat restaurants — typically require this level of supervision.

A higher tier of certification covering several stricter standards.

*Mehadrin* (literally "beautified") is a generic label for kashrus that exceeds the baseline. The exact meaning varies by certifying agency, but typically includes some combination of glatt meat, Chalav Yisrael dairy, Pas Yisrael bread, Yoshon flour, and full-time mashgiach.

Private rabbinic court certification — generally the strictest tier.

*Badatz* (Beis Din Tzedek) refers to private rabbinic-court certifications, especially in Israel. They typically apply standards stricter than the state Rabbanut. *Eidah Chareidit*, *Belz*, *Rubin*, *Landau*, and *Yoreh Deah* are well-known Badatz-level bodies. Choosing a Badatz hashgacha is a community standard signal more than a halachic universal — different chassidish or yeshivish circles align with different Badatzim.

Wine that has been cooked, removing handling restrictions.

Halachah restricts wine handled by non-Jews. Cooking the wine (*bishul*) removes those restrictions, so *mevushal* wine can be poured by anyone. Many kosher restaurants serve only mevushal wine for this practical reason. Connoisseurs who specifically want non-mevushal — typically in private settings where only Jews handle the bottle — look for that designation.

Greens inspected for insect infestation.

Many leafy vegetables — especially lettuce, broccoli, strawberries, and herbs — can harbor insects, which are not kosher. Reliable kashrus requires either washing/inspecting per a published protocol, or sourcing from suppliers who pre-check (e.g., Bodek). Some venues advertise bug-checked vegetables explicitly; the absence of the label in our directory means we haven't verified it.

Two very different ways a venue can be 'open' on Shabbat.

*Commercial Shabbat* operation — where the venue runs as usual, taking payment and serving customers — is halachically sensitive. Acceptability varies by community and posek. *Shabbos Meals* venues are something different entirely: fully supervised, prepaid-only, no money or transactions on Shabbat itself, and the hashgacha covers Shabbat service. Common in Israel and at some hotels worldwide. The Kosher distinguishes these two modes explicitly.

Why some kashrus details show *✓*, *✗*, or *?* in our directory.

Every kashrus attribute has three possible states: *verified yes* (we know the venue meets that standard), *verified no* (we know it doesn't), and *unverified* (we haven't checked). Unverified is its own thing — it doesn't mean the venue *doesn't* meet the standard, only that we haven't recorded it. The bot will flag those explicitly so you can verify on the premises.