In a place like Giudecca, the fire element can only be associated with cooking the food that was consumed in Jewish houses and with its meaning. The oven was a very important element for Jews and always found in a synagogue. It was built of stone, had a cylindrical shape and was small in size.
The ovens were used to bake unleavened bread, a sacred food according to Judaism.
This bread is characterised by the absence of yeast in its dough and is eaten by the community on the days of Pesach, or Passover.
Butchers were also very important in Giudecca, since Jews only eat certain foods allowed by their religion and also follow some rules when slaughtering and cooking animals.
The foods that can be eaten are defined as kosher. In addition to the selection of permitted foods, there are other rules governing cooking: for example, meat must remain separate from foods containing milk. In fact, the clear division between meat and milk forms the basis of Jewish cuisine.
According to tradition, the reason milk should not be mixed with meat is that one is a food connected to breastfeeding and symbolises life, while the other comes from a slaughtered animal and symbolises death.
