No other religion has so many dietary regulations as the Jewish. Jewis
h regulations include general rules and specific ones concerning selec
tion of raw material for foods, slaughtering of animals, preparation a
nd consumption of food, use of certain utensils, as well as rules for
diets on certain days such as sabbath or feast days. In contrast to wh
at has been frequently claimed, these rules are not merely of hygienic
nature and derived from the experience and needs of people living in
a warm climate, for whom they are a kind of consumer protection. Accor
ding to theologists, the background of the rules is exclusively religi
ous.