Islamic dietary restrictions

My understanding is that they are roughly the same except that muslims don't require a rabbi to bless the meat. I'm no expert, though.

i'm sure muslims cannot eat Kosher meat-

what makes meat Kosher?

I think kosher is more approved than blessed. It has to do with preparation more than anything.

well here is the Qur'an quote dealing with dietary restrictions:

Forbidden unto you (for food) are carrion and blood and swineflesh, and that which hath been dedicated unto any other than Allah, and the strangled, and the dead through beating, and the dead through falling from a height, and that which hath been killed by (the goring of) horns, and the devoured of wild beasts, saving that which ye make lawful (by the death-stroke), and that which hath been immolated unto idols. And (forbidden is it) that ye swear by the divining arrows. This is an abomination. This day are those who disbelieve in despair of (ever harming) your religion; so fear them not, fear Me! This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour unto you, and have chosen for you as religion al-Islam. Whoso is forced by hunger, not by will, to sin: (for him) lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. (Q5.03)

Basically, and again, I'm no expert, you don't eat meat with the blood in it (the slaughter method matters), you don't eat pork, and you don't eat shellfish. These are in common between Judaism and Islam. But I'm pretty sure that in order to be proclaimed Kosher, there's a rabbi involved.

If you find a rabbi's thumb in your chili, is it still kosher?

Not if the blood is still in it.

(sorry about my poor spelling)

I am no expert, but I did once see a halal slaughtering.

It consisted of holding the goat down and saying a prayer whilst slitting the throat. If there was any more details then I'm afraid that I missed it or mistook it for part of the normal slaughtering process.

I believe that the animals are completely bled out in a hallal (and kosher) slaughtering. If you've seen the way commercial farms slaughter animals you will see the difference. Or heck, just have a look at how bloody the meat is in the supermarket.

Aside from slaughtering the animals as specified. Prior to being cooked the meat must be "Koshered". Which entails salting it and letting it sit while all the blood has drained out. In addition there are only specific parts of the animal that are allowed to be eaten.
Regarding Moslems, they buy Kosher products because they know that kosher food will meet their religious requirements.

Thank you - FreeDuck, Equus, watchmakers guidedog, au1929 - for the interest you show in the dietary laws of my religion. I'd like to throw some light on the way we slaughter animals in Islam and why we do so:

1. Islamic method of slaughtering animal

a. Animal should be slaughtered with sharp object (knife)

The animal has to be slaughtered with a sharp object (knife) and in a fast way so that the pain of slaughter is minimised.

b. Cut wind pipe, throat and vessels of neck

The slaughtering is to be done by cutting the throat, windpipe and the blood vessels in the neck causing the animal's death without cutting the spinal cord.

c. Blood should be drained

The blood has to be drained completely before the head is removed. The purpose is to drain out most of the blood which would serve as a good culture medium for micro organisms. The spinal cord must not be cut because the nerve fibres to the heart could be damaged during the process causing cardiac arrest, stagnating the blood in the blood vessels.


2. Blood is a good medium for germs and bacteria

Blood is a good media of germs, bacteria, toxins, etc. Therefore the Muslim way of slaughtering is more hygienic as most of the blood containing germs, bacteria, toxins, etc. that are the cause of several diseases are eliminated.


3. Meat remains fresh for a longer time

Meat slaughtered by Islamic way remains fresh for a longer time due to deficiency of blood in the meat as compared to other methods of slaughtering.


4. Animal does not feel pain

The swift cutting of vessels of the neck disconnects the flow of blood to the nerve of the brain responsible for pain. Thus the animal does not feel pain. While dying, the animal struggles, writhers, shakes and kicks, not due to pain, but due to the contraction and relaxation of the muscles deficient in blood and due to the flow of blood out of the body.


Best Regards.

I like my meat all bloody and juicy. Mmmmmm.

Good for you. But I'd bet you wouldn't like it bloody and juicy if it was a week old.

I prefer to buy halal or kosher meats. The slaughtering method really ends up with a better product. Thank goodness there are a lot of good sources for halal meat near me.

As I recall, Marks and Spencers only uses meats prepared in the halal/kosher way.

We don't have a halal market within reach, but some of the local organic meats are pretty close and you can taste the difference.

There's just really no comparison between a hebrew national hot dog and khan's.

ehBeth
I am sure you would not like a steak that had been "Koshered" or if you could only get certain cuts of meat.

Interesting assumption to make, au.

ehBeth
Yes it was an assumption. However i speak from experience.
I ate only "koshered" steak and the prescribed cuts as a Youngster. Did not know what a steak should taste like till I had one.

You speak to YOUR experience, not mine, au.