What is Fleishig?
Also spelled / known as: Fleishik, Basari, Meaty, Meat dish
In brief
Fleishig (Yiddish for 'meaty') refers to kosher foods containing meat or poultry — these cannot be eaten with dairy and require a waiting period before consuming dairy afterward.
Fleishig explained
Fleishig is the kashrut category for all meat and poultry products. Fleishig foods include beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, and any dish made with meat broths, meat utensils, or meat equipment. Because of the biblical prohibition against cooking or eating meat and milk together, fleishig meals must be kept strictly separate from dairy — requiring separate dishes, utensils, and waiting periods between meals.
Real-world examples
A steak dinner, chicken soup, or beef stew
Pastries made with chicken fat (schmaltz) are fleishig
Kosher fleishig restaurants never serve butter, cheese, or milk
Fleishig utensils, pots, and dishes are kept in a separate area of the kitchen
Context & nuance
The separation of fleishig and milchig is one of the most fundamental practices in kashrut. Observant Jewish kitchens maintain entirely separate sets of dishes, pots, silverware, and even dishwashers for meat and dairy. After eating fleishig, most Ashkenazi Jews wait 6 hours before consuming dairy; some wait 3 or 1 hour depending on family custom. Most Sephardim wait 6 hours. Kosher restaurants are almost always either fleishig or milchig — not both.
Frequently asked questions
- What does fleishig mean?
- Fleishig (Yiddish for 'meaty') is the kashrut category for meat and poultry. Fleishig foods include all beef, lamb, chicken, and turkey, as well as anything cooked with meat ingredients or on meat equipment. They cannot be mixed with dairy.
- How long do you wait after eating fleishig?
- Most Ashkenazi Jews wait 6 hours after eating meat before consuming dairy. Some communities (particularly German-Jewish) wait 3 hours, and Dutch Jews traditionally wait 1 hour. Most Sephardim wait 6 hours. Family and community custom determines the exact practice.
- Is chicken fleishig?
- Yes — chicken and other poultry are fleishig (meat) for kashrut purposes. While the original biblical prohibition specifically mentions meat and milk, the rabbis extended the separation to include poultry to prevent confusion and ensure consistent practice.
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Where Fleishig shows up
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Related terms
Milchig
Milchig (Yiddish for 'dairy') refers to kosher foods containing milk or dairy products — these cannot be eaten with meat and require separate dishes, utensils, and equipment.
Pareve
Pareve (also spelled parve) refers to kosher foods that are neither meat nor dairy — fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables, grains, and most beverages — and can be eaten with either meat or dairy meals.
Shechita
Shechita is the Jewish method of ritual slaughter that renders an animal kosher — requiring a trained shochet to sever the trachea and esophagus with a single, swift cut using a perfectly smooth blade.
Glatt Kosher
Glatt kosher (Yiddish for 'smooth') refers to meat from animals whose lungs were found to be free of adhesions upon inspection — a stricter standard than baseline kosher meat.
Kashrut
Kashrut is the body of Jewish dietary law derived from the Torah, defining which foods are permitted (kosher) and forbidden (treif), how animals must be slaughtered, and how meat and dairy must be kept separate.
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