Halal Food: What Does it Mean?
Halal food – food that’s permissible under Islamic law – can be a
controversial and often misunderstood topic in non-muslim countries.
Why? Let’s take a closer look at what halal means, and what halal meat
means specifically.
What does halal mean?
Halal is an Arabic word that simply means lawful or
permitted, but generally refers to what’s allowed under Islamic law.
It’s the opposite of haram, which means unlawful or prohibited.
Some things are very clear-cut halal or haram, however, as with a lot of
religious law, other things can be open to interpretation.
When it comes to food and drink, halal is similar to the concept of
kosher in Judaism. But what’s halal and what’s haram more
broadly covers all aspects of life.
Non-muslims are sometimes familiar only with the term halal in
regards to its role in animal slaughter. That’s largely because meat can
be either halal or haram depending on how the animal was slaughtered.
For that reason, halal meat is usually labelled as such in most
non-muslim countries, whereas other products don’t need to be. Fruits
and vegetables, for example, are always halal, so non-muslims are rarely
confronted with the fact.
Halal meat
For meat to be certified halal, it must be slaughtered in a manner
known as dhabiha. That means cutting through the jugular vein,
carotid artery, and windpipe in order to drain all blood from the
carcass. In Islam, the consumption of blood is considered haram/forbidden. A
Muslim must recite a dedication known as tasmiya or shahada
during this process.
Carrion – an animal that dies of illness or natural causes – is also
considered haram/forbidden. An animal must be alive, healthy, and conscious at the
time of slaughter for its meat to be considered halal.
Although halal slaughter supposedly has its origins in a respect for
all life being sacred, the fact that the animals aren’t stunned
beforehand is a source of much controversy. It would, however, be naive
to presume that stunning is stringently applied in non-halal slaughter.
Often a single attempt is considered enough, whether successful or not.
Additionally, some national halal certification bodies interpret
halal slaughter to also include stipulations as to the sanity of the
slaughterer and the treatment and comfort of the animal prior to its
slaughter.
Not all meat can be made halal, however, regardless of how it was
slaughtered. Animals that are always haram to eat include:
- Pork and its by-products are strictly haram/forbidden
- Donkeys, mules, and horses
- Fanged animals (cats, dogs, bears, etc)
- Birds of prey
- Reptiles
- Some other animals, such as monkeys
Halal food
For the most part, vegan food is always halal. The one exception is
when it contains alcohol. Alcohol and all intoxicants are considered
haram/forbidden.
Vegetarian food, especially dairy and eggs, is a little more
complicated and depends on one’s interpretation of Islamic law. This is
largely comes down to two reasons:
- Dairy and eggs are often produced by methods involving non-halal
animal slaughter (for instance, killing non-productive male chicks
or calves at birth). Cheese may also contain non-halal animal
rennet.
- Some animals are often fed non-halal products as part of their
diet, including pork by-products and potentially also non-halal
pharmaceuticals.
Courtesy of Fine Dining Lovers
Halal logo / mark
Reasons to eat halal
There are various reasons one should switch to halal meat from other
forms of meat are as follows:
- Halal is less painful for animals. It is proved that the
animals who are slaughtered using this method feel less pain.
- A halal animal is always fed on vegetarian food and grass. Thus,
such meat is rich in vitamins, omega-3 fat and antioxidants which
are healthy for the human body.
- As halal meat lacks blood, thus, it tastes better than other
meat. Blood contains lactic acid which can negatively affect the
taste of meat.
- What we eat has an impact on our thoughts and brain, thus,
eating halal food will not harm your brain. This food is free from
bacteria and harmful substances that otherwise would have hampered
your brain. Halal meat is free from antibiotics, growth hormones,
antibiotics, and preservatives. All these things can adversely
affect a human body and can make them ill.
- Animals killed using non-halal methods might contain e-coli
poisoning, bacteria and other harmful and filthy substances. The
sacrifice of animals using the halal method doesn’t harm animal’s
organ, thus, the organs also don’t contain any contaminated blood.
Courtesy of Boxed Halal
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