Walgreens on Biscayne and 31st stocks Kosher Sushi made locally by Sushi Mann Express. But what makes sushi kosher? Short Order set out to investigate.
Sushi is famous for its raw fish. Jewish biblical law states that only certain fish are fit for consumption, but unlike meat, their blood is viewed as clean.
Rabbi Sholom Blank of Congregation Lubavitch Russian Immigration Center on Miami Beach is listed on a beachside rabbi directory on the internet called
He picked up the phone toward 8 p.m. on Wednesday and explained that the mashgiach, a sort of food inspector rabbi, looks at the fish "and as long as
it has the fins and scales, it has God's law that it's kosher."
Fish must also be "prepared
with kosher instruments: a kosher knife, cutting board,
pots and pans, and anything that goes through cooking." Blank said that the kosherity of the instruments are determined by their use solely on kosher foods.
But
you don't have to be a rabbi to catch or butcher the fish. Asked
whether a Catholic can cut the fish as long as the rabbi is watching, Blank responded, "Yes."
Seaweed, a major component of sushi,
requires extra fortitude to classify as kosher. It may contain seahorses,
mini shrimp, or insects. It must be inspected and determined to be free of treife, unclean foods.
Rabbi Blank was lost for an answer on how they find a particle of processed seahorse on a sheet of nori, but then he's not a hechsher.
Calls to Sushi Mann Express, the Hallandale-based company that produces the sushi for the Walgreens on 31st and Biscayne, were met twice with agreement to a live interview to which Ronen Cohen, who incorporated the company, failed to appear. We will continue to try and
reach him for comment.
Here's a link to a detailed article on kosher sushi from the Chicago Rabbinical Council.
