Jews, Romans, and Pigs: An Impossible History

When the vegan meat manufacturer Impossible Foods requested kosher certification for its new line of "Impossible Pork," the OU balked. Although the actual product is made of kosher ingredients, the OU found that certifying Impossible Pork as kosher was . . . simply impossible. For years, there have been many "faux unkosher" products, such as imitation shrimp, dairy-free cheeseburgers, and even imitation bacon, but the OU felt that pork is different. Chanie Apfelbaum, a New York kosher food blogger and cookbook author, explained to the Wall Street Journal that she had no problem eating Impossible Cheeseburgers, but that she has "a hard time getting past the idea of eating something that’s called 'pork' and is meant to taste like pork."