Is the Food Halal? 5 Common Mistakes When Traveling

Traveling abroad can be a different and exciting experience, one that you don’t want to spend running around searching for a restaurant with a Halal certification. Whether you are going for a few days or a month do some online research on the Halal restaurants or cafés that will be available in the city you are visiting.

You will find websites who have listed restaurants that have a Halal certification complete with reviews from customers. There are quite a number of Halal food bloggers too who do reviews on restaurants they have been to, and are honest about the quality of the food. You can even avoid an unpleasant dining experience altogether by checking customer reviews. Don’t forget to check if the airline you are traveling on serves Halal meals on board. Before starting your journey, make a list of the places you can find Halal food, seafood and vegetarian food. This includes supermarkets that have a halal certification or sell Halal meat.

Each country has their own unique, interesting style of food preparation and cuisine. In places like China, Mexico and some European countries, pork lard is used to prepare dishes that don’t necessarily contain pork itself. Alcohol is used in cooking certain foods especially in French and Italian cuisine. Countries have various names in their own language for sauces, stocks and much more created with non-Halal meat and alcohol. Once again, do some online research on the kinds of food and their names so you will be safe and know what you can have.

Not just pork and alcohol free. It can be confusing when a restaurant says that they don’t serve pork or alcohol, yet they do not have a Halal certification. Always look for the Halal logo on the menu or a sign at the counter. This could mean the meats being served are not Halal meat as the animals might have not been slaughtered according to the Halal certification requirements. Some other reasons could include Halal meat and other foods that contain pork or alcohol are cooked in the same area with the same utensils. You can always ask the staff how the meal is prepared and what ingredients are being used too.

Halal certified items will definitely have a Halal logo on the packaging and the same rules apply to some Halal meat products too or they will be separately sold in the Halal sections. For other products, always read the list of ingredients printed at the back. In some countries pork based gelatin is used in ready made items like sweets and jellies, so it is best avoided. You can go for products like dried fruits, packaged nuts and cereals which are pretty healthy too.

Don’t get discouraged if you cannot find a place with Halal certification. You can visit farmers markets to buy fresh fruits and vegetables or Halal certified markets and purchase items to cook for yourself if you can. If you are really stuck you can always have meals at sea food or vegetarian restaurants - just make sure there is no alcohol involved in the food preparation especially when it comes to sauces.