Comparison of Islamic and Jewish dietary laws

Substance classification

Similarities

• Swine is prohibited by both sets of beliefs.
• Almost all animals permitted in kashrut are also halal, such as bovines.
• To be kosher, aquatic animals must have scales and fins. Most Sunni schools of thought adhere to the interpretation that all creatures from the ocean or the sea or lake are considered halal. Twelver Shia Muslims however consider that only sea creatures that have scales are halal, but make an exception with some crustaceans; shrimp and prawns, but not lobsters. This is similar to the Jewish law with the exception of fins.
• Gelatin, according to one of the two Islamic viewpoints, it is only permissible if it comes from a permissible animal,but according to another Islamic viewpoint, gelatin is halal, whatever its source, due to a chemical transformation, as for Judaism usually kosher gelatin comes from the bones of kosher fish, or is a vegan substitute, such as agar. Judaism finds that only gelatin made from kosher animals and/or kosher fish are in essence "kosher gelatins."
• Almost all insects are prohibited by both sets of law, although of the Maliki school of Sunni Islam permits eating insects, with the condition of it being dead by any means. The few kosher insects are specific types of locusts and grasshoppers which are not eaten today in most Jewish communities and it is unknown which species is permitted ; however all types of locusts are considered halal in sharia.

  Differences

• For a substance to be halal, it must not contain alcohol of any kind. However, there is a difference drawn between the addition of alcohol to foods, which is absolutely forbidden, and the small quantities that naturally become present – such as orange juice. Except for grape wine and grape juice, kashrut allows the consumption of any sort of alcohol, as long as it has kosher ingredients.
• The list of animals forbidden by kashrut is more restrictive, as kashrut requires that, to be kosher, mammals must chew cud and must have cloven hooves. Thus some animals such as the camel and rabbits are halal, but not kosher.
• Kashrut requires strict separation of dairy and meat products, even when they are kosher separately
• According to Jewish dietary laws, cooking equipment cannot come into contact with both meat and dairy. Both the kitchen utensils and eating utensils used must be designated to either one or the other.
• Wine was very important in early Judaism. The Jewish Talmud stated that wine is an alternative to other medicines. Wine is permitted by all Jews as long as it is kosher. In order for wine to be kosher, it has to be made with all kosher ingredients and the entirety of the process from the picking of the grapes to the process of bottling the wine has to be supervised or created by other Jews. It is also a part of the Shabbat dinner and many other rituals. Especially the Passover Seder, where part of the ritual for Jewish tradition is for each person to drink four cups of wine. Grape juice is also an acceptable substitute for its alcoholic counterpart. Wine is also recommended to drink during the Jewish holiday of Purim. Meanwhile, in Islam alcohol is morally and socially unacceptable and is not used in any religious processes.

  Slaughter

Similarities

• Both shechita and dhabihah involve cutting across the neck of the animal with a sharp blade in one clean attempt in order to sever the main blood vessels.
• Both require draining the blood of the animal.
• Both Islamic and Jewish culinary practices enforce that the meat and poultry must be examined thoroughly by a member of its religion prior to consumption.
• Also, both religions emphasize that the meat has to be ritually slaughtered and not just found.

  Differences

• In Judaism, only one who has been specially trained and has learned on all the laws of shechita may slaughter kosher animals. However, dhabihah can be performed by any "sane adult Muslim… by following the rules prescribed by Shariah". All Islamic authorities, though, state that dhabiha can also be performed by Peoples of the Book.
• Dhabiha requires that God's name be pronounced before each slaughter. There is a genuine difference of opinion regarding the mention of the name of Allah if slaughtered by a Jew or Christian.. However, the Muslim will be required to mention name of Allah before consuming the dhabiha if not mentioned at the slaughter. Dhabiha meat by definition is meat that is slaughtered in the shariah manner and the name of Allah is said before the slaughter. In shechita, a blessing to God is recited before beginning an uninterrupted period of slaughtering; as long as the shochet does not have a lengthy pause, interrupt, or otherwise lose concentration, this blessing covers all the animals slaughtered in that period. This blessing follows the standard form for a blessing before most Jewish rituals. The general rule in Judaism is that for rituals which have an associated blessing, if one omitted the blessing, the ritual is still valid ; as such, even if the shochet failed to recite the blessing before shechita, the slaughter is still valid and the meat is kosher.
• There are some restrictions on what organs or parts of the carcass may be eaten from a halal-slaughtered and dressed animal. Commonly known prohibition include blood, Hanafi school adds penis, testicles, vulva, glands. However, kashrut prohibits eating the chelev and gid hanosheh, and thus the hindquarters of a kosher animal must undergo a process called nikkur in order to be fit for consumption by Jews. As nikkur is an expensive, time-consuming process, it is rarely practiced outside of Israel, and the hindquarters of kosher-slaughtered animals in the rest of the world are generally sold on the non-kosher market.

  Other comparisons

Similarities

• After slaughter, both require that the animal be examined to ensure that it is fit for consumption. Dhabiha guidelines generally say that the carcass should be inspected, while kashrut says that the animal's internal organs must be examined "to make certain the animal was not diseased".
• Both sets of religious rules are subject to arguments among different authorities with regional and other related differences in permissible foodstuffs.
• Strictly observant followers of either religion will not eat in restaurants not certified to follow its rules.
• Meat slaughtered and sold as kosher must still be salted to draw out excess blood and impurities. A similar practice is followed in some Muslim households, but using vinegar. This is done to remove all surface blood from the meat, in accordance with Islam's prohibition of the consumption of blood.

  Differences

• During the Jewish holiday Passover, an additional set of restrictions requires that no chametz be eaten. This requirement is specific to the holiday, and nothing to do with the laws of kashrut.
• Kashrut prohibits the mixing of meat and dairy products; consumption of such products or profiting from their sale are also forbidden. Halal has no such rules.
• In Judaism, the permissibility of food is influenced by many secondary factors. For instance, vessels and implements used to cook food must also be kept separate from non-kosher products, and not used for both dairy products and meat products. In general, the same policy extends to any apparatus used in the preparation of foods, such as ovens or stovetops. Laws are somewhat more lenient for certain kitchen items such as microwaves or dishwashers, although this depends greatly on tradition or individuals' own stringent practices. As a result of these factors, many Conservative and Orthodox Jews refuse to eat dishes prepared at any restaurant that is not specifically kosher, even if the actual dish ordered uses only kosher ingredients.
• Likewise in Islamic food preparation, the permissibility of food is also influenced by the fact if it got mixed by contact with a non-halal food or drink from the utensiles or kitchen surface. Utensils used for pork, alcoholic drinks, blood and other najsat must not be used for halal food.
• The United States houses around 40 percent of the world's Jewish population, around 6.8 million. It is home to the largest Jewish population, and therefore the largest kosher markets. The largest markets are found in popular cities like New York, California, Florida, and New Jersey. The kosher food fills a special niche in the food market and despite the fact that only 10–15 percent of American Jews say they buy kosher, the niche was worth more than $12.5 billion in 2013. Industries that serve kosher products estimates are that there are over 12 million kosher consumers in the United States and that around 1 in 5 Americans regularly or occasionally buy kosher products because they are kosher. Throughout United States, there are over 11,000 kosher-producing companies, plants, and more than 195,000 kosher-certified packaged products sold in the United States. It is estimated that 70 percent of the food ingredients produced and 40–50 percent of foods sold in the United States are kosher.
• The kosher market has been continuously growing. Over the past decades, kosher certification companies like the Orthodox Union and Gluten Free Certification grew to meet market satisfaction. More recently, many big corporations like Coca-Cola started turning segments of its production to kosher to meet demand. There are kosher festivals like the Kosherfest, in which many kosher chefs’ compete in culinary arts.