judaism

The Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashanah begins tonight at sundown. Although it is a time for introspection and soul-searching, it is also a happy day. Once the holiday prayer service is completed, a kiddush is said and a festive meal is eaten. Many foods are symbolic, such as apples dipped into honey which represent a sweet new year. The folks at About.com rounded up the symbolic meaning for other Rosh Hashanah food:

Round Challah
The round shape symbolizes a perfect year to come. Sometimes raisins or honey are added to make it extra sweet.

Apples and Honey
Dip the apples in honey to symbolize a sweet year to come.

Head of Fish or Gefilte ("filled") Fish
Fish is an ancient symbol of fertility and abundance. The head of fish symbolizes the head of the New Year. The head also symbolizes hope that the Jewish people will lead other nations through their righteous acts.

Head of Lamb, Sweet Chicken or Meat Dish
Head of lamb symbolizes our hope that the Jewish people will lead other nations through their righteousness. The sweet entree symbolizes our wish for a sweet year.

Tzimmes
Tzimmes is an eastern European recipe for honey baked carrots. The Yiddish word "meren" means carrots and to increase. Carrots symbolize our hope that we increase our good deeds in the coming year. Some tzimmes recipes add prunes, sweet potatoes or even meat to the sweet carrots.

Spinach
Spinach symbolizes a green year with plenty of produce.

To learn about more symbolic Rosh Hashanah food, read more

I see these symbols on food labels a lot. If you're not Jewish yourself, or don't have Jewish friends, than you probably didn't know that the symbols mean that the food is kosher.

Contrary to popular misconception, rabbis or other religious officials do not "bless" food to make it kosher. Basically, specific dietary laws are written in the Torah (the Jewish teachings) and that determines what is kosher and what is not. Rabbis need to supervise to make sure these laws are strictly followed in order to be labeled kosher.

Many of the laws have to do with animals, which ones can be eaten, the way they are slaughtered, and the way they are prepared. In the Torah, it says something about "not boiling a kid in its mother's milk, the "kid" being a baby goat. So that's why people who are kosher don't eat milk and meat together.

The reason there are different symbols is to show where the food was supervised, and by which rabbi. For example, the Capital "K" with a circle around it was supervised in Brooklyn, NY by Rabbi Don Yoel Levy.

The symbol with the Capital "U" and the circle or "O" around it is the symbol of the Orthodox Union, a leader in kosher supervision.

The one with the Star of David is kind of a universal kosher symbol. Inside it are Hebrew letters that make up the word "kosher."

If you find a kosher symbol that says "parve," it means that the food contains no meat or dairy products.

Some food will say "kosher for Passover." Passover is actually coming up (April 2, 2007), so you might be seeing this symbol a lot.

Want to know what kosher for Passover means? Then read more