We've probably all heard the term halal but weren't sure exactly what it meant or if was the same as kosher. In short, the word halal, in Arabic, means permitted or lawful. Halal foods are foods that are allowed under Islamic dietary guidelines. According to these guidelines that were gathered from the Qu'ran, Muslim followers cannot consume the following foods:

Pork or pork by-products

Animals that were dead prior to slaughtering

Animals not slaughtered properly or not slaughtered in the name of Allah

Blood and blood by-products

Alcohol

Carnivorous animals

Birds of prey

Land animals without external ears

These prohibited foods and ingredients are called haram, meaning forbidden in Arabic.

A Humane Method of Animal Slaughter

Muslims are taught through the Qu'ran that all animals should be treated with respect and be well cared for. Therefore the goal in halal style butchery is to slaughter the animal in a manner which will limit the amount of pain the animal will endure.

When an animal is slaughtered, the jugular vein is cut and the blood is allowed to drain from the animal. This practice is done because Muslims are prohibited from consuming animal blood.

Where to Find Halal Foods

Halal foods can be found in many Middle Eastern grocers. In larger cities, you may also be able to find halal butchers.

But with the growing demand for Halal foods in some areas, some national supermarket chains are carrying halal meats even halal turkeys for Thanksgiving.

There are many online stores that now offer halal foods.

In large metropolitan areas, halal has also come to casually mean Middle Eastern cuisine. In New York and other cities with food truck cultures, halal carts and trucks are seen as sources of dishes such as falafel, shawarma, and flavorful kabobs.

The aroma of grilled meats and spices emanating from these food trucks is intoxicating and can be very hard to resist! It can often be a gentle introduction to the cuisine and that, in turn, has led some halal style restaurants opening that began as carts and developed a following.

Some popular casual street food halal dishes are chicken, gyros or falafel served either platter style with rice or wrapped in a pita with lettuce and tomatoes and a white, tahini-based sauce or a red, harissa based sauce. Side dishes might include hummus or tahini and baklava is commonly offered as a dessert option.

什么是清真食品？

我们可能都听说过术语清真，但是却不十分确定它到底是什么意思，或者它是否与洁食一样。简言之，单词halal，在阿拉伯语中，意为被许可的或合法的。清真食品是指符合伊斯兰饮食规定的食品。根据我们从《古兰经》中总结出的这些规定，可以总结出穆斯林不能食用以下食品：

猪肉或猪肉副产品

屠宰前已死亡的动物

以不正确的方式屠宰的动物，或不以真主的名义而宰杀的动物

血液及血液制品

酒精

肉食动物

捕食的鸟类

两栖动物

这些被禁止的食品和配料都被称为haram，阿拉伯语意为禁止的，非法的。

人道的动物屠宰方式

《古兰经》教导穆斯林，所有的动物都应该受到尊重并被给予很好的照顾。因此，清真屠宰场的目标是尽量减少动物死亡时的痛苦，以人道的方式屠宰动物。

当动物被屠宰的时候，颈静脉被切开，血液可以从动物体内流出。这种做法是因为穆斯林禁止食用动物血液。

如何找到清真食品

清真食品可以在许多中东杂货铺找到，在较大的城市中，你还可以找到清真屠宰人员。

但是，随着一些地区对清真食品的需求日益增长，一些国家的连锁超市也开始售卖清真肉类甚至在感恩节还有清真火鸡。

现在有很多网店提供清真食品。

在大都市中，清真也简单地意味着中东菜。在纽约和其它有快餐车文化的城市中，清真推车和卡车被视为佳肴的来源，例如：沙拉三明治、土耳其烤肉，以及可口的烤肉串。

来自这些食品卡车的烤肉和调料的香味令人难以抗拒！它常常始于绅士地介绍美食，反过来，导致一些清真餐厅开始以推车形式开张，并发展起来。

一些流行的街头清真休闲食品是：鸡肉、烤肉包或者沙拉三明治，还有提供的大盘食物，有大米或裹着生菜、西红柿、白色的芝麻酱汁，或者红色辣椒酱汁的阿拉伯大饼。配菜可能包括鹰嘴豆泥或者芝麻酱以及通常被作为餐后甜点的果仁蜜饼。