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As noted in another answer, coconut milk (and similar items) are not considered dairy (unless they are made with dairy ingredients added) and are not a problem. However, there is a supervision pro...
Answer
#2: Post edited
- As noted in another answer, coconut milk (and similar items) are not considered dairy (unless they are made with dairy ingredients added) and are not a problem.
However, there is a *supervision* problem. This does not mean a Jew has to do the work, just that a Jew has to watch the work being done. While there is a basis for leniency for many types of items (certain basic ingredients but even certain processed foods, depending on the time & place) to be considered kosher without any formal supervision, kosher meat is a huge exception. There are plenty of stories - some real, some likely made up to prove a point - where kosher meat was left unsupervised for just a few minutes and then treated by observant Jews as non-kosher. That is the generally accepted (for thousands of years, not a new thing) Orthodox practice.- That being said, the best thing is to discuss this with the Jewish members of your group to determine what they are comfortable with. The worst thing would be to go through a lot of work and then find they won't eat it, particularly if there is something else you could have made that they would eat.
- As noted in another answer, coconut milk (and similar items) are not considered dairy (unless they are made with dairy ingredients added) and are not a problem.
- However, there is a *supervision* problem. This does not mean a Jew has to do the work, just that a Jew has to watch the work being done. While there is a basis for leniency for many types of items (certain basic ingredients but even certain processed foods, depending on the time & place) to be considered kosher without any formal supervision, kosher meat is a huge exception. There are plenty of stories - some real, some likely made up to prove a point - where kosher meat was left unsupervised, but with non-Jews able to access it easily, for just a few minutes and then treated by observant Jews as non-kosher. That is the generally accepted (for thousands of years, not a new thing) Orthodox practice.
- That being said, the best thing is to discuss this with the Jewish members of your group to determine what they are comfortable with. The worst thing would be to go through a lot of work and then find they won't eat it, particularly if there is something else you could have made that they would eat.
#1: Initial revision
As noted in another answer, coconut milk (and similar items) are not considered dairy (unless they are made with dairy ingredients added) and are not a problem. However, there is a *supervision* problem. This does not mean a Jew has to do the work, just that a Jew has to watch the work being done. While there is a basis for leniency for many types of items (certain basic ingredients but even certain processed foods, depending on the time & place) to be considered kosher without any formal supervision, kosher meat is a huge exception. There are plenty of stories - some real, some likely made up to prove a point - where kosher meat was left unsupervised for just a few minutes and then treated by observant Jews as non-kosher. That is the generally accepted (for thousands of years, not a new thing) Orthodox practice. That being said, the best thing is to discuss this with the Jewish members of your group to determine what they are comfortable with. The worst thing would be to go through a lot of work and then find they won't eat it, particularly if there is something else you could have made that they would eat.