Kosher food is food that adheres to a set of dietary restrictions, known as kashrut. Among the rules of kashrut are:

• Restrictions on having meat products and dairy products at the same meal.
• Restrictions on eating animals that do not have split hooves or chew their cud.
• Restrictions on how one must slaughter and prepare meat for eating.
• Restrictions on eating certain products of Israel before tithes have been taken off.

In addition to these and many other restrictions, kashrut also defines a system of trust one may use to verify that these laws were followed faithfully by those claiming to provide kosher food or services.

Judaism believes that keeping kosher is an integral part of Jewish religious practice. Some of the rules come from G-d, while others were introduced later for reasons such as health, mindfulness, social justice, or as a safeguard against violating other commandments. The Kosher Food Club hopes to provide a forum for answering any further questions that MIT community members may have about kashrut, or to direct these questions to those more qualified to answer.