LogFAQs > #942240114

kangolcone posted...

Secondly, because of kosher rules and Passover traditions, Jewish store houses for grain were often kept cleaner than counterparts. This in turn led to less rats which of course harbor plague carrying fleas.

It really is interesting to look at Kosher guidelines through the lens of a modern understanding of food safety. With unreliable cooking methods and a lack of meat inspection, pork was indeed a good idea to avoid, due to trichinosis and pork tapeworms being very dangerous. Shellfish, similarly, can lead to paralytic shellfish poisoning if not handled correctly. Using separate dishes for cooking meat is pretty much the only way to ensure you aren't contaminating other foods with said meat if running water and soap aren't readily available, and as you've noted, cleaner food storage is just generally healthier. Some of the guidelines make less sense, which is kind of inevitable when you're talking about something as nebulous as the "wrath of God" because your pre-germ theory society has no other explanation for people dying horribly when they don't follow such rules, but most of the restrictions basically amount to primitive food safety guidelines.

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