If you’re looking for an alternative menu for your wedding
reception, there aren’t only Asian caterers in London, but also Halal caterers
London and even eggless catering London
Long Des:
Through the Islamic holy book, Qu’ran, the most important
book in Islamic tradition, Muslims are taught a specific set of guidelines to
follow. Eating Halal foods and following a Halal diet is one of them.
Halal vs. Haram
The word ‘Halal’ means lawful or permitted in Arabic. Halal
foods are foods allowed for consumption and prepared according to strict
Islamic dietary guidelines. These guidelines originated in the Qu’ran.
Basically, devout Muslim followers are not permitted to consume the following:
- Animals already dead prior to butchering
- Animals not properly butchered, or not butchered under Allah’s name
- Meat from pigs
- Carnivorous animals
- Blood and its by-products
- Birds of prey
- Land animals without external ears
- Alcohol
The following prohibited foods are called ‘haram’, which
means forbidden in Arabic. Haram foods must not come into contact with or be
combined with Halal foods. Also, Muslims are forbidden to make food from a
previously dead animal not prepared according to Halal guidelines.
Halal foods can be easily found in Middle Eastern groceries
some big national supermarket chain stores, and online. There are also Halal
butchers and Halal
caterers London.
Dhabiha
Through the Qu’ran, Muslims are taught to treat all animals
with respect and to care for them. This principle is also applied in the
butchering of an animal for consumption. The goal is always to limit the amount
of pain the animal would endure when slaughtered.
The Halal method of butchering animals is called ‘dhabiha’.
It involves killing the animals with a swift and precise incision into the
throat with the use of a sharp and sterilised razor blade. Aside from lessening
the pain the animal would endure, the goal is also to preserve the freshness of
the meat, and keeping it free of impurities (blood). This method is unlike
Western methods, where there isn’t necessarily strict ritual being follow, and
sometimes, the animal’s blood is also used for some types of dishes.
Prior to butchering, the animals must be checked to ensure
they’re clean and healthy. They should be given clean water to drink and turned
into the direction of Mecca. During the slaughtering process, Allah’s name
should be pronounced over the animal being slaughtered. The intent behind this is
to give respect to the animal and at the same time, to thank Allah for the
bounty. The animal being slaughtered must never see the blade to be used being
sharpened or another animal being slaughtered. Afterwards, the throat is cut
swiftly and the blood drained. The blood must never come into contact with the
animal carcass.
According to scientific research, when this method is
carried out correctly, there’s a sudden drop in the blood pressure within the
animal’s brain. This renders the animal brain dead within mere seconds, which
causes the animal less pain and stress. Hence, this is the reason why this
method is considered to be not only a more humane way of slaughtering animals,
but also a more hygienic one.
If you’re looking for an alternative menu for your wedding
reception, there aren’t only Asian
caterers in London, but also Halal caterers London
and even eggless catering London.
