8 Differences Between Halal and Kosher Food

A lot of people are confused about the difference between the status of halal and kosher food. More importantly, what makes the food be considered halal or kosher. Some might say that Muslims are allowed to eat kosher food while others perceived that both kosher and halal food are the same.

Both these words have close to similar meanings but there are still several differences between the two. Is it worthy for kosher food to be also considered halal or vice versa?

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Here are some of the differences that you will find between kosher and halal food.

1. Meat Slaughtered Kosher Is Halal?
The first question in mind is whether food with kosher status means halal too?
The answer to that will be simply no. Both of them cannot be the same as kosher and halal have their own characteristics and criteria that are totally different. But some can be considered to be the same.

2. Why is It Not Halal?
Basically, the techniques of slaughtering the animals according to the teaching of Islam and Jews look the same where the jugular vein and carotid artery need to be cut at the neck of the animal to let all the blood flows out.
But for the food to be halal, the slaughterer needs to be a Muslim and must say his prayers during the process of slaughtering. This is a huge difference that makes it halal.

However, views say that the food can be considered halal if performed by an al-Kitab(People of the Book i.e Jews and Christians). But this situation has its own explanation and cannot be simply understood directly.

The most crucial thing for a Muslim is that if there were any alternative to halal food, it is important to avoid any uncertainties since we don't truly know how the process of slaughtering by the Kosher way.

3. Prayers Said By the Jews During Slaughtering?

The Jewish slaughterer or also known as 'shochet' is an expert trained to slaughter the animals properly and it seems that only certain people are eligible to do it.

This is different compared to Muslims in which any Muslim man or woman as long as the person is sensible and has reached puberty can perform the slaughtering. There are many views on the prayers said by the 'shochet' each time the slaughtering is done.

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The prayers are called 'Bracha' or some might call it the sayings of intention. Some of them are quite short while some can be a very long interpretation. that goes;

Blessed are you O Lord, our God, Ruler of everything(basically) who makes us holy with his commandments and commands us concerning kosher slaughter

4. Is Wine Considered Kosher?
Well, this is definitely true because they believed that anything made from grapes can be consumed. They are allowed to eat, drink and cook from the alcohol as long as the Jews were among that who produces it.

There are many perspectives on this and from the start, alcohol was considered something that is 'therif' or what some might say is a sin. However, it has been changed and it remains like that to this date as well as being practiced by the majority of the Jews.

5. Is It True That The Jews Are Not Allowed To Eat Insects?
Insects and microscopic creatures like worms are called 'tolayim' in the Jewish term. They have strict rules and prohibitions in this matter in which they must check for the presence of insects or living matter on fruits and vegetables that will be eaten.
Both Muslims and Jews consider insects as being unsanitary. In their book, chapter Leviticus 11:41 states that any insect which has 4 legs and wings should be avoided. Even in Islam, there is the term 'mustakhbitsah' which means disgusting creatures.

It is only considered permissible if the insects were eaten unintentionally like eating worms inside an apple.

6. It Is Not Kosher If Meat and Milk Were Mixed Together

Well, this statement is true as any form of food which combines meat and milk is considered not achieving the Kosher standards. Therefore, when it comes to storage, both these items must be separated.

While cooking they have to ensure that the meat will not be mixed together with the milk in their dish. The cooking utensils must also be used differently too. The Jews also practice waiting time especially when it comes to consuming them.

For instance, a lot of people will wait for 30 minutes after consuming the milk to eat the meat. While some can go to the extent of waiting up to 6 hours long. This practice is a reminder stated in the Talmud scripture which prohibits any mixture of meat and the mother's milk or they call it "don't cook a baby goat in its mother's milk".

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This will mean that your typical cheeseburger from Mcdonald's cannot be considered kosher.