How does Kosher work in Southern and East Africa ?
Most safari lodges we use offer the following as a starting point for our Jewish guests:
Private Kosher friendly catering. That means they have a separated kitchen for your meal preparation, dedicated meat and milk preparation areas, ovens and stoves.
Kosher meat, dairy and other items are ordered through Beth din approved Kosher suppliers and prepared on blue and red coded pots, pans and served on dedicated sets of plates with stainless steel cutlery.
You are invited to turn the stoves on, light the fires and inspect the kitchen and the ingredients.
The local staff have been trained by private Kosher chefs and are familiar with the basic requirements of Kosher catering.
But because of the remote location of these lodges outside of the main cities, there are no permanent Kosher chefs, or Mashgichim living nearby.
That means you can either chose to self inspect , and self regulate the adherence to a Kosher of preparation, by going into the kitchens, turning on the ovens, lighting the fires, and seeing the level of adherance for yourself.
OR
You can fly in a private Kosher chef or Mashgiach, and the cost for this will be for your own account. Typically private Kosher chefs and Mashgiachs cost U$ 200 a day, and then their flights, or transport, as well as their accommodation will be for your own account, and the consultants will gladly work on a price for you.
Finally in the cities of South Africa, you have Beth din approved Kosher caterers and restaurants who will gladly deliver premade meals, with the Beth din seal on each meal pack. The hotels then reheat and serve these meals sealed, and you break the seal yourselves on site and use disposable plastic or brand new stainless steel cutlery.
Sometimes we can fly or courier premade Beth din approved Kosher meals that have been sealed, into the safari lodges, using a cold chain delivery company, but in general this is only recommended for short stays under 3 nights, and most often these meals are not as fresh or tasty as freshly prepared meals. The further the location, the higher the costs for the transport/ shipment of these premade meals.
Another option is also for the less strict Kosher guests, is to ask for Parev meals prepared on site freshly, and we will still use dedicated pots and pans, and avoid leafy salads or soft skinned fruit, to avoid insect spoilage. You are invited to inspect the eggs, and you can verify the source and type of fish being served.
So this means you can do a basic level of Parev in the remote safari lodges or areas where there is no Kosher caterer or restaurant in the immediate surroundings, and revert to full Fleischik and Milchik meals only when you are back in the cities.
Some clients also ask us to fly up frozen uncooked Mehadrin commission meat, and they open the frozen packaging themselves, and are provided with a new barbeque grid, and they light the fire and ask the chef on site to barbeque their meat under the client's direct supervision.
Shabbos meals - if you are Fully Shomer Shabbos, and prefer to always be at a Shul during Shabbat, we always plan the itineraries accordingly, and make sure you return to the cities that have Shul's available, for this 24 hour period.
However on the odd occasion you are out on safari, or are very far from a Shul, with your consent, we then can either make a fresh meat meal before sunset on the fire for Friday night, and premake Saturday Shabbos cold platters. Kiddush wines and Challah breads can also be flown in, if requested in advance.
Electric lights can be taped on for the 24 hour period, and door keys can be arranged in place of electric keycards and / or a local non Jewish person can be asked in advance to open the doors at pre arranged times.
Overall, our aim is to accommodate your requests as best as possible, within the constraints of local conditions/ locations and to make the process as transparent as possible upfront, so that you agree to the journey without any concerns.
