In addition to the basic laws of Kashrut (such as kosher meat and fish species, the separation of meat and dairy, etc.), there are other important considerations. Here are some of them:
Meals must be cooked or baked by Jews. Meals cooked or baked by non-Jews are not kosher, even if they contain kosher ingredients. There are some exceptions to this rule:
If a Jew is involved in the cooking or baking.
Foods that can also be eaten raw, or that are not prestigious enough "for a king's table".
The milk must be produced under the supervision of a Jew to ensure that it contains only milk from kosher animals.
Wine is used for Kiddush, Havdalah, weddings, and was used in the Temple (Beit HaMikdash) and in the ceremonies of idolaters. Therefore, kosher wine, or any other beverage containing grape derivatives, must be produced and handled only by observant Jews and must bear a seal certifying this.
When purchasing produce from the Land of Israel, whether there or elsewhere, it should be bought from a reliable kosher producer. In biblical times, the farmer himself would separate the tithes required by the Torah. Today, since we no longer have the Temple in Jerusalem, some of these tithes are not consumed and must be disposed of respectfully.
Another law related to the produce of the land is the precept against eating the fruit of a tree during the first three years after it is planted, called Orla. Outside the Land of Israel, this prohibition applies only to those fruits that are known to be Orla.
Shalom, I understand that it's permissible to eat bread from a non-Jew. My question is whether I can recite the blessing "hamotzi lechem min haaretz" or not? If not, what blessing do I use? I also want to know if this bread can be used on Shabbat if, for some unexpected reason, I don't have two loaves as traditionally required. Thank you in advance. =)
Shalom Adina,
While the Shulchan Aruch and the Gemara discuss "pat akum" (literally, "bread of idolaters") at length, it is always assumed that all the components of the bread are kosher. That is to say, bread made with cow fat, for example, obviously does not fall under the category of "pat akum.".
I would venture to say that nowadays all bakers use non-kosher products to make their bread, so "pat akum" would no longer be an option.
If there are loaves of bread authorized by competent Orthodox rabbis but which are still considered "pat akum" because the oven was not lit or the fire was not modified by a Jew, these loaves, even though they do not contain non-kosher products, are still considered "pat akum.".
In this last case, the blessing is hamotzi, like a "pat israel".
Greetings!