Pareve

Pareve (from Yiddish פאַרעוו for "neutral", in Hebrew פרווה, and also parve and other variant English spellings) is a classification of food in kashrut (known as kosher in many English-speaking countries) for edible substances that contain neither dairy nor meat ingredients. Food in this category includes all items that grow from the ground (fruits, vegetables, grains, etc.), fish, eggs, and non-biological edible items (such as water and salt).

In colloquial use, the word pareve can occasionally be used to describe anything that is neither one thing nor another.

Halakha (Jewish law) forbids consuming mixtures of milk and meat, consuming milk and meat at the same meal, consuming dairy foods within a period of time after meat which varies by custom, and using the same dishes for both dairy and meat. Pareve foods accordingly can be consumed together with either dairy or meat.

While fish has the status of pareve, the Talmud warns not to consume fish mixed together with meat, and the custom is not to eat both on the same plate. A less common practice is to refrain from eating fish with dairy.