Why should we eat Halal meat?
Once you taste it, you will never go back.
Talking about meat, meat has been my go-to on any occasion. Ever since I lived in Australia for studies, I buy and cook meat by myself. Even though Australia is one of the largest meat exporters globally and is a world leader in halal production, Australia has a few Muslim populations. As a Muslim, it was quite hard for me to find halal meat as it is not widely available in the supermarket. I had to go further outside the suburb to buy halal meat from a halal butcher. I compared my life back in Indonesia to access halal food and meat as easy as buying potato chips.
Because of the difficulty of buying halal meats, I used to not caring about what kind of meat I eat as long as it is not pork. Sometimes I buy meat from the supermarket with no halal certification just because it is cheaper than the certified ones. However, I always ended up disappointed because they remain only for a few days in a fridge and become smelly. Since then, I became more strict and care about halal food especially halal meat, even though I have to travel further to visit the halal butcher.
I am currently living in Italy, and I want to keep my ‘halal meat’ living. I am lucky that at least four halal butchers in my neighbourhood make it easy for me to obtain halal food. For me, it is worth to buy. Other than it tastes incredible and healthier, I also save a lot of money because it lasts for a long time in the fridge. In my experience, halal meat lasts 5–7 days longer in the refrigerator compared to the ones that non-halal. I have always been happy to tell other international students how healthy, tasty, and value of money the halal meat is.
What is halal?
Halal simply means permissible in Arabic.
What is halal food?
Anything prepared by the name of God (except pork and all intoxicating alcohols, wines, liquors and drug) is halal. They are all permissible to be eaten. The opposite of Halal is Haram. As Allah (God in Arabic) says in the Quran:
حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةُ وَالْدَّمُ وَلَحْمُ الْخِنْزِيرِ وَمَا أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ اللّهِ بِهِ وَالْمُنْخَنِقَةُ وَالْمَوْقُوذَةُ وَالْمُتَرَدِّيَةُ وَالنَّطِيحَةُ وَمَا أَكَلَ السَّبُعُ إِلاَّ مَا ذَكَّيْتُمْ وَمَا ذُبِحَ عَلَى النُّصُبِ وَأَن تَسْتَقْسِمُواْ بِالأَزْلاَمِ ذَلِكُمْ فِسْقٌ الْيَوْمَ يَئِسَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِن دِينِكُمْ فَلاَ تَخْشَوْهُمْ وَاخْشَوْنِ الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الإِسْلاَمَ دِينًا فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ فِي مَخْمَصَةٍ غَيْرَ مُتَجَانِفٍ لِّإِثْمٍ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Forbidden for you are carrion, blood and pork, and what has been dedicated to other than Allah, and animals which have been strangled, and animals which have been killed by a blow, and animals which have fallen to their death, and animals which have been gored, and animals which wild beasts have eaten–except those you are able to slaughter properly–and animals which have been sacrificed on altars, and deciding things by means of divining arrows–that is deviance. Today those who disbelieve have despaired of overcoming your religion. So do not be afraid of them but be afraid of Me. Today I have perfected your religion for you and completed My blessing upon you and I am pleased with Islam as a religion for you. But if anyone is forced (to eat haram food) by hunger, not intending any wrongdoing, Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Qur’an 5:3)
What is haram meat?
Haram meat is impermissible meat. It is pork meat and dead meat/animals except for fish or seafood. Also, the other criteria of haram meat are below:
- Are strangled to death.
2. Are Beaten/Struck until they are dead, generally refers (though not limited to) to a powerful strike to the head.
3. Have fallen (or are thrown) from a height (to their death).
4. Are gored (to death).
5. Eaten (partially) by other animals, except if they can be properly slaughtered before dying.
In other words, the meat sold that died from stunning or electric shock is considered haram, because they are having a severe pain until their death.
What is halal meat?
Halal meat is taken from animal (whether it is cows, chicken, duck, sheep, camel, lamb or all other permissible animals for consumption in Islam) that has been slaughtered in Islamic way (by the name of God).
How are animals slaughtered?
The Islamic method of slaughtering concerns about the suffering of the animals. As animals are also God’s creation, we have to respect their sacrifice to be consumed for a greater purpose (for human consumption). Before slaughtering, any sane Muslim adult has to pronounce God’s name on each animal slaughtered. Then, the animal's neck has to be cut through the jugular veins to reduce pain as less as possible. Moreover, this method allows the blood to drain completely in the first place, resulting in the meat has less blood, meaning less probability of contamination and food poisoning.
How does it taste like?
In my opinion, it tastes fresh, just amazing. From this video below, I discovered that it absorbs the seasoning efficiently as it has no more blood in the meat. As a result, it gives a better taste. Not quite convincing? Watch the video below.
What are the benefits of halal meat?
Halal meat has a lot of benefits. It has less blood, meaning less probability of food poisoning and contamination, lasts for a long time in the fridge, foods taste better, healthier, and you are protected from diseases.
To sum up, there is no fear of eating halal foods because now you know how beneficial halal meat is. Treating our bodies is also our responsibility. Thus, I recommend anyone who cares about healthy living to eat halal meat considering those benefits, whether you are a Muslim or Non-muslim. Let me know down in the comments section how you like the meat if you have tried it. If not, get ready and visit the nearest Halal butcher and taste the difference.
Please give me a few claps for my post so I can write more valuable posts to you and don’t forget to follow and subscribe.
Sources:
