The following essay discusses what makes
food kosher or non-kosher and the purpose it serves to those of the Jewish faith.
From the paper: "Some Jewish scholars also believe that until the time of Noah and the Great Flood, humans were vegetarians. After the Great Flood Jews began to eat some meat, but
kosher food practices helped ensure that they would not kill animals indiscriminately and practice self-control in their food consumption (Newman, 1995)."