Kosher Nation: 01/28/15

Kosher Nation by Sue Fishkoff is an exploration of the kosher food industry. Like Mary Roach (Gulp [link]), Fishkoff organizes her book into a series of related topics.

While keeping kosher is a cornerstone of Judaism, not all Jews keep kosher. And those who purchase and eat kosher products aren't necessarily Jewish.

What was once a practice kept within the Jewish community, has expanded well beyond those bounds. The growing Jewish populations within urban areas combine with the rise in mass produced foods created both a need and a method for mass producing kosher food products.

As quantity increased, the kosher products expanded beyond their core, target demographic. Would any self respecting business owner try to stop that? Of course not. Quite the opposite.

Kosher Nation has three parts: the history of kosher food production in the United States, the reasons why non-Jews would have a vested interested in consuming kosher products, and finally, how businesses are now trying to court both markets.

Three stars

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