Welcome Eid with joy, and remember to eat a delicious Eid dish that is something that Muslims miss every year. However, keep in mind to pay attention to the halal aspect as well. There could be potential non-halal ingredients in the dish.
Eid Al-Fitr 1443 H has arrived. Even though we are still amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, it would be nice for us to still welcome Eid, or locally known as Lebaran, with joy as a sign of victory. In addition to gathering with family, something missed is the special Eid menus.
The Eid menu varies from all of the regions. However, several menus are generally mandatory Eid dishes, such as beef rendang, chicken braised in coconut milk, and ketupat. The savory chicken meat with thick chicken braised in coconut milk sauce that is rich in spices is ready to sway anyone’s tongue. Not to mention, the savory and spicy rendang meat wrapped with spices and combined with ketupat certainly spoils the tongue of anyone who eats it.
Nevertheless, there are some things that we have to be careful about. If explored more deeply, these materials have a fairly high critical point. This is something that Muslims need to pay attention to. Being critical when going to eat a healthy and safe Eid meal is very necessary. This can be done by seeking information in advance about the halalness of the menu’s raw materials. What are the critical points behind the delicacy of Eid dishes?
1. The Slaughtering Process
One of the critical points that can cause meat and poultry to become non-halal is the process of slaughtering animals that are not following Islamic religious rules. The role of the halal slaughterer becomes very important in determining this.
Guidelines for halal slaughter in Indonesia refer to two main regulations, the first is the Indonesian National Work Competency Standard (SKKNI) Number 196 of 2014 concerning the Slaughtering of Halal Animals and the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) Number 99002 of 2016 concerning The Halal Slaughtering of Poultry.In the Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture Number 13 of 2010 concerning Requirements for Ruminant Slaughterhouses (RPH-R) and Meat Cutting Plants, it is stated that every RPH-R must have a halal butcher who has competence not only from the Islamic aspect but also from the technical aspects of veterinary public health and animal welfare.
In the Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture Number 13 of 2010 concerning Requirements for Ruminant Slaughterhouses (RPH-R) and Meat Cutting Plants, it is stated that every RPH-R must have a halal butcher who has competence not only from the Islamic aspect but also from the technical aspects of veterinary public health and animal welfare.
In SKKNI, halal slaughterers are required to be Muslim, mature, having physically and mentally healthy. The tools used must be sharp, capable of injuring until blood flows, and not made of nails or bones. Meanwhile, SNI requires the slaughter of chickens to be performed manually one by one by the butchers. These apply to all poultry meat, including chickens that are circulating in Indonesia, both domestically and imported from abroad. The meat produced must meet the ASUH requirements: Safe, Healthy, Whole, and Halal.
So how do you get halal chicken and beef?
The easiest way is to choose a shop that sells meat that has been certified halal. The price is relatively the same as chicken pieces on the market. Based on several studies, animals that are slaughtered in a halal manner will produce meat that is tastier and healthier. The dishes served will increase blessings to you and your family.
2. Sugar
Most granulated sugar is usually made from sugar cane. Since it comes from plants, the product is certainly halal. But to get to granulated sugar, sugar cane needs to go through several stages, starting from the process of extraction, purification, evaporation, crystallization, to drying.
The stages of this process have the opportunity to use decolorizing materials that use activated charcoal. This material can be made of bone, wood, or bamboo. It is necessary to study further when using activated charcoal from bones because there is a possibility that it comes from the bones of pigs or animals slaughtered not according to the Islamic rules.
“If the activated carbon comes from mining products or wood charcoal, then it will not be a problem. However, when using bone charcoal, it has to be ensured that the halal status of the animal origin must be confirmed. Activated charcoal is haram to use if it comes from the bones of haram animals, or the bones of halal animals that are not slaughtered according to Islamic rules,” said the Halal Audit Quality Board LPPOM MUI, Dr. Ir. Mulyorini R. Hilwan, M.Si.
3. Cooking Oil
As reported from Republika.co.id, one of the ingredients that are often added in the manufacture of cooking oil is beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is a yellow pigment derived from carrots that exist in various forms, such as alpha, beta, or gamma which can be converted into vitamin A in the body. Beta-carotene can also come from synthetic chemicals.
Although derived from plants or synthetic chemicals, beta-carotene may not be halal. Its unstable nature makes manufacturers often add stabilizers. The oil stabilizer can come from the gelatin of pigs or livestock slaughtered not according to the Shari’a. In addition, cooking oil producers often filter oil with the help of activated carbon which needs to be studied for halal.
As a Muslim, applying the halal lifestyle is a must. One of them is by continuing to consume and use halal products. The halal food ingredients for Eid dishes can be checked through the halalmui.org website or the HalalMUI application on Playstore. (ZUL)
