Kosher Vs Halal: Understanding Dietary Laws In Judaism And Islam

You might have encountered the terms 'Kosher' and 'Halal' when dealing with meat and dairy products. While it might be general knowledge that the terms relate to guidelines on what can and cannot be consumed, only a few people know what they actually mean. As a result, the terms have been used interchangeably by people who think they mean the same thing. Here is a detailed Kosher vs Halal comparison to help you understand them better.

Can meat be both Kosher and Halal? In some religions, not everything is edible. Dietary laws guide what should be eaten, and Muslim and Jewish faiths strictly adhere to these rules. While Kosher guides Jews, Halal guides Muslims.

Kosher vs Halal

Most religions have their dietary laws, and Muslims and Jews are no exception. The laws dictate which foods followers can eat and cannot eat. Kosher and Halal are the most common dietary laws that Jewish and Muslim faithful strictly adhere to. How does Kosher vs Halal compare? Find out their meanings, similarities, and differences.

What is Kosher?

Kosher originates from the Hebrew word Kashrut, which means fit or proper. It relates to food that conforms to Jewish dietary laws derived from the Torah.

What makes food Kosher? The laws indicate which foods are to be consumed and how they are prepared. Therefore, food cannot be Kosher if it is not prepared as stipulated by Kashrut.

Kosher law prohibits the eating of certain animals. However, for permissible animals, there are guidelines on how they are killed and specific parts to be eaten. Kosher laws permit the following foods:

• Animals whose hooves are divided into two and chew cud. Such animals include cattle, sheep, goats, and deer. Prohibited animals are pigs, rabbits, dogs, camels, and cats.
• Domesticated birds, such as chicken, goose, duck, and turkey. Wild predatory birds such as vultures and falcons are prohibited.
• Fish with fins and scales, including tilapia, tuna, salmon, pike, and herring.

In Jewish, besides the permitted foods, how they are prepared determines whether they are Kosher. Here are slaughter guidelines for Kosher:

1. The slaughterer, also called Schochet, must be Jewish having proper knowledge of Jewish laws.
2. The slaughtering process must be quick. A sharp blade should be used with a single strike to kill the animal.
3. Blood should be completely drained from the animal.
4. Thorough inspection of the lungs to ensure the animal is healthy and fit for consumption.

What is Halal?

Halal is an Arabic word meaning lawful or permissible. It refers to foods allowed for consumption per Islamic dietary laws from the Quran. On the contrary, foods that are disallowed by the laws are called Haram, which means unlawful.

Like Kosher, the food preparation procedure also determines whether it is Halal. Muslims have set guidelines for slaughtering an animal called zabihah, which must strictly be followed to make the meat lawful or permissible for consumption. According to the Islamic dietary laws, the following foods are considered clean:

• Cattle
• Sheep
• Goat
• Camels
• All types of bucks
• Rabbit
• Fish
• Locust

Even if an animal is in the bracket of clean animals according to Islamic dietary laws, it may be considered not fit for consumption if specific procedures are not observed during slaughtering. Here are slaughter guidelines for Halal food:

1. Whoever is slaughtering should be a Muslim.
2. A specific prayer should be recited before the slaughter commences.
3. A sharp knife should be used to minimise pain so that the animal dies fast and humanely.
4. The animal’s throat is cut only once. Once the knife starts cutting, it must not be lifted before completion.
5. The trachea, oesophagus, and two jugular veins, or at least three, must be cut.
6. Blood should be completely drained from the animal.

Kosher and Halal similarities

Even though Kosher and Halal are different religious dietary laws, they have a few things in common. Here are the similarities in both laws:

• They both require that an animal that qualifies to be eaten is killed quickly and humanely to minimise pain.
• They disallow the consumption of pork and any food or beverage with alcohol.
• They are certified by organisations. For instance, Halal foods are certified by the Halal Food Standards Alliance of America (HFSAA), while Kosher foods are approved by the Orthodox Union (OU).

Kosher and Halal differences

How are kosher and halal different? The main difference between Halal and Kosher is that they are dietary laws practiced by Islamic and Jewish religions, respectively. Other differences occur in the permissible foods and the food preparation process. Below is a Halal vs Kosher chart comparing the two dietary laws.

Can Muslims eat kosher?

Muslims can consume kosher products. However, not all kosher products are Halal, as those that contain alcohol are not permitted.