Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat. Leviticus 11:3
Add giraffes to the list of of ruminants with cloven hooves fit for human consumption. According to Biblical law, beef, lamb, goat, and venison are all deemed kosher. Moreover, you may drink the milk and eat the cheese of these and others. So have a little nosh-- some prime buffalo, elk, chevron, reindeer, and now giraffe. Enjoy!
Some veterinarians from Israel’s Safari Park, wanted a conclusive answer to the question, “Is eating giraffe kosher?” So they acquired milk from a female giraffe. (Can you imagine milking a giraffe?) Then they brought it to some rabbis to determine whether those Jews observing traditional dietary laws could sup on this long-necked, cloven-hoofed mammal.
The answer comes from Leviticus, the third book of the Bible’s Old Testament-- also the third of the Five Books of Moses which comprise the Torah. But it’s the rabbis (teachers) who interpret Jewish law, including whether something is kosher (conforming to dietary laws) or tref (unfit for human consumption). For example, pigs are tref because, as set forth in Leviticus, although their hooves are cloven, they do not graze nor do they “chew(eth) the cud.
In spite of the dearth of recipes for its preparation and that you could guess that it “doesn’t taste like chicken,” the rabbis determined that the milk curdled correctly, similarly to a cow’s milk. According to kosher law, microbial rennet, which comes from the stomach of not-yet-weaned animals, serves as the coagulating agent. Did the vets actually obtain it from nursing baby giraffes, or would bovine rennet do just fine?
However, this determination is mostly academic, as people aren’t exactly storming the gates to hunt down and get their hands—and kitchen knives—on giraffes. There are plenty of other meat sources, but what’s more important is that giraffes are endangered—close to extinction, making it unlikely that you’ll find it in local markets.
But if, hypothetically speaking, you add giraffe to the menu, eating cheese made of the animal’s milk with its meat is not kosher. Just as a hamburger topped with a slab of cheddar, is not permitted by Jewish dietary law, a giraffe-burger topped with a generous slice of (artisan) cheese is also a gastronomical no-no, so do not even think of passing the ketchup!
A simmering soup stock made of the giraffe's extensive neck no doubt lacks the common-cold-curative anti-inflammatory element offered in a nice bowl of chicken soup—with or without matzoh balls.
