What You Need to Know About Halal and Kosher Diets
When working in the food industry, it is important to understand that some religious practices will have special dietary needs. As your business serves more people on a daily basis, it is necessary to ensure that you have the best offerings to accommodate these religious dietary restrictions.
In this article, we will discuss two religious dietary practices: Kosher and Halal. If you are curious about this and want to make sure you have these options available, then continue reading down below.
The Kosher Diet
This is a dietary restriction by Jewish law. There are specific requirements needed to meet these Kosher laws and could be difficult for those unfamiliar with the dietary practice.
Kosher has three food groups: meat, dairy and pareve (neither meat nor dairy). For this diet, the restriction relies more on how the animal is being raised to determine whether they are Kosher. For animals, the criteria are that they chew their cud, have cloven hooves, and are free from disease. Additionally, domesticated fowl and seafood with fins and scales are all allowed for this diet.
However, one of the restrictions that the Kosher Diet has is that meat and dairy cannot be consumed in the same meal. This means if you have consumed one or the other for one meal, you must wait at least six hours or for the next meal to consume another one. Another thing to note is that fish can be consumed in the same meal as meat since it is considered pareve. However, it must be placed on a different plate.
Some of the examples of food allowed in this diet are:
Meat: Kosher beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, duck, goose, and fish
Dairy: milk, cheese, yogurt (from a Kosher certified animal)
Pareve: fruits, vegetables, eggs, fish, cereal products, nuts
The Halal Diet
While the Kosher diet is something that not many people are familiar with, the Halal diet is more commonly known. This diet is under Islamic teachings, with Muslims strictly practicing it. Packaged food often has Halal stamps to let Muslims know that the food is safe to consume.
While it is difficult to classify food exactly as Halal, it is important to just always check the packaging label. This would make it easier to classify the food. However, below are also some examples of Halal food and products:
Rice
Pasta
Juice
Milk
Yogurt, cheese, and ice cream made with bacterial culture without animal rennet
Certified meat and poultry
Seafood
Nuts
Eggs
Peanut butter
Tofu
Halal deli meats
Legumes
Just make sure that whenever you are using packaged products, they have the Halal certification on them as well as the certifying body. It is also encouraged to ask people or do your own research to see what kind of foods are Halal and can be eaten by practitioners of the diet.
Accommodating Dietary Needs
It is important to accommodate the dietary needs of different people. This will allow them to be able to have a good experience at your restaurant, while at the same time also giving you good business. The Kosher and Halal diets are special dietary requirements, and to have offerings at your restaurants that will meet their needs is something that you should consider.
If you are looking for Halal food in Vancouver, then Karakoram Restaurant is for you. We serve authentic Pakistani food in Vancouver, offering you a plethora of flavors. Dine with us today for amazing cuisine and food experience.