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Comment by rst | Hacker News Reader

So, someone has to ask... is Impossible Pork kosher?

Based on the picture, it looks like they're marketing this mainly as a filling for pork dumplings. And as all Jews know, pork is already kosher when it comes minced or ground in Chinese food.

Is that a joke? Curious.

There's an oddball NYC tradition of (not strictly observant) Jews going out for Chinese food on Christmas because those were the only restaurants that were open. The Chinese restarauteurs are appreciative, but sometimes mystified...

https://forward.com/culture/437007/why-do-jews-eat-chinese-f...

I had a friend in college who kept kosher, but ate shrimp because "G-d made them tasty for a reason". People make exceptions sometimes.

It's 100% a joke.

If it's purely plant based it would have to be, right?

But the real achievement will be Impossible Bacon.

But the real achievement will be Impossible Bacon

Just shared the exact same sentiment with a friend; while I'm no committed vegan or vegetarian, if I see an impossible burger on a menu at a burger bar, I'll happily order one.

If they manage to make a passable and just as enjoyable impossible bacon strip, oh boy.

What I want is Impossible Steak wrapped in Impossible Bacon for half the cost of the real thing. The company that can give me that will have me as a customer.

IIRC Impossible burgers are kosher (vegan is most of the way there) so assume they would make this kosher as well.

What's an example of a vegan food that is not kosher?

Insects are not kosher so some plant products can contain too many insects to be kosher or require careful washing and inspection to be kosher. Figs contain wasps and need to be inspected and the wasps removed before they can be consumed. Fresh strawberries with stems have a lot of tiny insects on them that need to be washed away before consumption.

Products derived from grapes have special rules as well. https://www.kosher.com/learn/about-kosher-laws/kosher-wine-a...

They are going for both kosher and halal certifications.

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/impossible-pork-whats-it-made-of...

I believe they're not, since it is designed to appear like something forbidden: https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3907949/jewis...

edit: reading more closely it seems that you just have to be clear to observers that it's not actually pork.

Hmmm... your reference seems to indicate it's OK, so long as it's clear to any observers what's really going on. Cheeseburgers with non-dairy mock cheese are an explicit example.

(Next two paragraphs quoted:

For example, if one wishes to drink almond milk while eating meat, he needs to indicate that it is in fact almond milk, not regular milk, which is forbidden. In the olden days, this was done by popping some whole almonds into the milk. Today, this can be achieved by having the container on the table, making it clear that it is almond milk.6

The same would need to be done in order to serve a veggie burger that resembles meat, topped with real cheese, or to serve a beef burger under a slice of imitation cheese. It’s fine to eat, provided that the package is nearby and visible, or its parve identity is spelled out on the menu, receipt, etc.

...end quote.)

> For example, if one wishes to drink almond milk while eating meat, he needs to indicate that it is in fact almond milk, not regular milk, which is forbidden. In the olden days, this was done by popping some whole almonds into the milk. Today, this can be achieved by having the container on the table, making it clear that it is almond milk.

Who are you indicating it to? Does gods omnipotence not extend to distinguishing different types of milk, or is this so people can police it? (not trying to be snarky - genuinely curious)

The mere appearance of impropriety may encourage others to actually commit the impropriety.

(Not Jewish, but I find Talmud very interesting.)

Thanks, that does seem like a reasonable reason to make it clear what you're doing.

My guess is yes based on the fact that there already is a kosher product that makes food taste like bacon.

http://koshernexus.org/2008/12/kosher-bacon-salt/

Almost certainly since basically all plants are Kosher. It's possible they'll need to have it blessed by a Rabbi, but that's pretty easy to do.

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