Bishul Akum and Jerky: Does It Matter Who Cooked It?
Bishul akum is the rabbinic rule that certain foods cooked entirely by a non-Jew are not eaten, even if every ingredient is kosher. Jerky is cooked, so the question can apply to it. Kosher agencies handle it as part of certification, which is one more reason a jerky needs a real hechsher on the finished product. This is an overview, not a ruling; ask your rabbi about your own practice.
What the rule covers
The rule applies to cooked foods that meet two conditions set out in the Talmud and codified by later authorities:
- The food is not normally eaten raw.
- It is important enough to be served at a formal, royal table (oleh al shulchan melachim).
Cooked meat generally meets both. Whether a particular snack food does, and how different communities apply the rule, are exactly the kind of details your rabbi or your certifying agency decides.
How agencies handle it
The usual approach is that a Jewish person, often the agency's supervisor (mashgiach), takes part in the cooking, commonly by lighting the fire or turning on the equipment. Ashkenazi and Sephardi practice differ on exactly what participation is needed. On a certified product, the agency is responsible for this; it is part of what the hechsher means.
Jerky versus biltong
| Jerky | Biltong | |
|---|---|---|
| Is it cooked? | Yes, with heat, in hours | No. Cured in vinegar and salt, air-dried, never heated |
| Does bishul akum come up? | It can | Not in the same way, since nothing is cooked |
That difference is part of why biltong is unusually well suited to kosher production: fewer ingredients, and a whole category of question about cooking does not arise the same way. It still needs certification for everything else: the meat, the ingredients and the facility.
What to do as a shopper
- Buy jerky with a hechsher on the finished product, from an agency your community accepts.
- If your practice is stricter than your agency's on bishul akum, ask the agency how they handle it. Serious agencies will tell you.
- For your own practice, ask your rabbi.
Our kosher beef jerky and biltong are certified Glatt Kosher, and the certificates are published. For everything else to check on a bag, see is beef jerky kosher?
Try it: Is This Jerky Kosher? Label Checker. Answer five questions about the bag in your hand.
