Sidebar text - alien foods

Yes, But Is It Kosher..?
One of the questions to come out of interplanetary travel is the religious status of alien foods. Europa is an extreme case because it has so many edible species, but it’s a question that has vexed scholars of several religions since the first landing on Mars. Many religions have dietary codes, and every new edible species discovered must be tested to see if it conforms. In the case of Europa, for example:

• Bladder-Birds are not predators and do not have cloven hooves or chew cud. They are Kosher if prepared correctly; they must be freshly killed and drained of all blood, and the heart, lungs, and air bladder must be removed.
• Nutsies are Treyf (non-Kosher) since they resemble shellfish and their diet includes decaying material.
• The Liver-leaf and Truffles are both considered to be plants, and Kosher if washed to remove insects etc.

These are relatively simple examples; the arguments for e.g. the suitability of Venusian fish for eating by Catholics on Friday, or if any of the Martian or Europan species can be eaten by Buddhists, can be far more complicated.