MORE FROM A SOAKED AND SALTED MIND

  Category: General Topics

Why is there such a dearth of really good quality kosher meat? Not so many years ago, our family’s butcher carried mostly prime meat. Except for dinners in some of the truly better kosher steak houses, we never have prime beef any more.

Why is that? One possibility that comes to mind is that the cost of Glatt meat has become so high that in order to make the meat affordable, the butchers have cut down on the quality and have switched to cheaper meat. Another possibility is that prime meat no longer exists. O wait, that can’t be true. You can get prime meat at better steak houses as we noted above. Hmm, so that can’t be it.

And, as long as we mentioned Glatt, when did Glatt expand to include up to five sirchot (removable scabs)? If Glatt means smooth, and we have changed the definition of Glatt to mean the same, essentially, as regular meat, then why are we paying a premium for Glatt meat that would appear to be not really Glatt?

Just what is going on in the world of kosher meat? Why are the prices so high and the quality so low? We do not have any answers, but we sure wish someone would try to explain it all.