Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Containing no meat or milk (or their derivatives) and thus eatable with both meat and dairy dishes according to the dietary laws of Judaism: A term used in Jewish dietary law (kashrut) to describe food that is neutral, being neither dairy (milchig) nor meat (fleishig). Parve foods can be consumed with either type of meal.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The bakery sells delicious parve cookies that are made with oil instead of butter.
  • For the dinner party, she prepared a parve soup so it could be served with either the chicken or the cheese platter.
  • This margarine is certified parve, so you can use it in any dish.

Advanced Usage

• "Strictly parve": Emphasizes that a food item or utensil has been prepared and handled in a way that guarantees no cross-contamination with meat or dairy products.
  • The kitchen has a strictly parve set of pots and pans for preparing neutral foods.

Variants and Related Words

• Pareve: An alternative spelling of parve. Both spellings are acceptable and used interchangeably.
  • Look for the "pareve" label on the packaging.

Synonyms

• Neutral: In the context of kashrut, having neither meat nor dairy status.
• Non-dairy, Non-meat: Descriptive terms, though they lack the specific religious connotation of being permissible with both categories.

Notes on Meaning

• The core meaning of parve is specific to Jewish dietary law. It does not inherently mean "vegan" or "healthy," as parve foods can include fish, eggs, and plant-based ingredients, and may still be processed or high in sugar. Its primary definition is legal/religious: a food category that does not create a prohibition when mixed with meat or dairy meals.

Adjective

1. containing no meat or milk (or their derivatives) and thus eatable with both meat and dairy dishes according to the dietary laws of Judaism
   • pareve margarine
   • parvebread