What is Halal Food?
Halal means lawful, and halal food are food items and drinks prepared under strict Muslim dietary laws.
Haram (unlawful) items include birds and beasts of prey like hawks and tigers, food that has been offered to idols, the flesh of animals that are already dead before slaughtering, blood and certain animals like monkeys and rats. The common non-Muslim food which are prohibited to Muslims include pork, lard and by-products of pork like ham, bacon and liquor.
Halal (lawful) animals, like chicken, sheep, cattle, must be slaughtered by Muslims because a short prayer is said when they are being slaughtered. Also, these animals are slaughtered with very sharp knives and in such a way as to effect
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quick death
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thorough drainage of blood. Aquatic animals like fish need not be slaughtered because
- they die quickly when they leave water
- they do not have much blood as birds and land animals.
Food items with animal gelatin and cakes and fruit punch with liquor added are also not permissible.
The best way to serve food to Muslims is to buy the food from Muslim stalls or caterers and serve them on disposable paper plates and cups.
The point of contention in the subject of halal food is not the non-Muslim person who cooks the food but the food itself, whether it is halal or not, and the cooking environment and kitchen utensils.