It is known that Muslims do not eat pork, however, they are not the only ones, neither are Jews for example they eat it, why? We are going to talk about it in this article, so if you are interested, stay reading a little more.
In different cultures, the pig is seen as an unclean animal, it is rejected and therefore it is not consumed. On the other hand, there other cultures consuming each and every part of the pig, as would be the case of the Spanish.
religion and society
Jewish, Islamic and Christian monotheistic laws have their origins in common. That is, they all share the Old Testament. The difference between them lies in the different rites and interpretations of those first common texts, and also of those writings that complement and make the different religions evolve.
In the Book of Genesis and Leviticus, 1500 years before the arrival of the Prophet Muhammad, the pig was already denounced as an unclean animal. Muhammad would later maintain this animal as a defiled one. Both Yahweh and Allah forbid the consumption of pork. If you're interested in learning more about the prohibitions, you can consult this article on the prohibitions on pork in various cultures.
The reason for the ban
The pig as a dirty animal
Relating the pig as an unclean or dirty animal is easy. It is an animal that wallows in mud, in its own excrement and that eats almost anything that comes its way.
The pig is an animal that it does not sweat and therefore cannot regulate its temperature in any other way than with fresh mud. When he does not have it, he must resort to what is within his reach to regulate himself and sometimes that is his own excrement. The more temperature, the dirtier we are going to see what the pigs are.
However, this should not be the reason why we think that the animal is prohibited, since other animals can do the same and they are not prohibited by religion.
In the Middle East, which is where Judaism began, the temperature is very high and it would be more than usual to find pigs rolling around continuously to alleviate the heat. The prohibition of its consumption we must also think that it would have health reasons act. It is known that in the XNUMXth century a Jewish doctor and theologian, Maimonides, reiterated the importance of not consuming this animal.
The pig and trichinosis
However, we should go closer in time to understand its true prohibition. We must take into account that we have commented that the three religions share their beginning, but only two of them actually prohibit the consumption of pork.
By mid-century XIX discovers the relationship of pork consumption with trichinosis. This is a parasitic disease caused by eating undercooked or undercooked meat, which already contains the larvae of Trichinella spiralis and because it is not well cooked, the larvae remain active.
We can find this parasite in different animals like the bear, the walrus, the fox, the rat, the horse, the lion or the pig. Which of these animals was the most consumed is easy to find out. It is the reason why the consumption of pork was directly related to trichinosis.
since time immemorial, religion has been the most important channel of indoctrination in societies. Through it, it was explained what was right, what was wrong and the behavior models that should be followed to have a good society. In the same way against epidemics, diseases, etc. religion took action on the matter and banning pork consumption would have been important to prevent trichinosis.
We must also take into account that there were other more serious diseases than trichinosis since they led to death and were transmitted by animals that have not been prohibited. Therefore we still have a reason that we can be somewhat lame.
The pig and the ecosystem of the Middle East
Anthropological experts reflect that there is another reason why pork could be banned and that has to do with the maintenance of the Middle East ecosystem. In arid climates, the animals that adapt best are ruminants such as sheep, goats or cows. Pigs, on the other hand, need fields and rivers.
To this we must add that ruminants could extract more food such as milk and its derivatives, as well as the skin itself. On the other hand, the pig compared to it, only produced meat, a meat that while it was fattening consumed the same resources as man. This is posed as a threat to the ecosystem.
In such a case, small amounts of pork could have been raised to avoid the problem but still be able to consume it. But this would have pork has become a luxury food and therefore a food related to temptations. Before getting to that the best option was to ban it.
Why is pork consumption still prohibited today?
Cultural traditions is what defines us as different cultures and among those traditions one is the diet. Each civilization has consumed some foods in common but others are very different since, due to the needs of animals or plants, they were only produced in certain areas.
All we continue to maintain traditions of our culture, regardless of whether we believe in the religion of our culture or not. Because those traditions is what defines us, it is what we are used to, it is what we have always seen and experienced.
In the same way that Muslims and Jews still do not generally eat pork, in Spain the pig has been one of the traditional animalsRaising one or two pigs in the family meant having food throughout the winter. It is the reason that absolutely everything that comes out of this animal is consumed. It is also true that Spain's ecosystem is not like that of the Middle East, otherwise pork would not have been consumed the way it is.
No matter the cultural differences, although yes we must understand and respect that these differences exist and what is essential for some is prohibited for others.
What is the traditional Muslim diet?
You may still be wondering what is the basis of the traditional Muslim diet, so we are going to delve a little deeper into it as well.
We must understand as diet of Islam those food standards that the Muslim religion establishes. We are going to focus on the most common part, although there may be differences between different Muslims.
Just like Forbidden foods there is the meat of any animal already dead (understood as carrion, those animals that have not been killed to eat), blood, pork and any meat dedicated to another deity other than Allah. It is also set as the consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited (actually it refers to the consumption of intoxicants, anyone that gives a feeling of intoxication). However, Alevis in Türkiye do allow alcohol.
At the same time hunting is prohibited during the pilgrimage, except for fishing which is allowed.
In addition to this, they establish rules for killing animals to be consumed. Choking, striking, being dropped to death, killed by being struck by a horn, or killed by another wild animal is prohibited (those trained to hunt are allowed). The animal must be killed with respect, it must not suffer, nor see the blade, nor must it notice the presence of blood or smell from a previous slaughter.
Se they also prohibit the consumption of animals with fangs: dogs, bears... and also birds with claws like the owl. To learn more about the rules of Islam, you can consult this article on the history of the Christian Church.
How are all these no-pork rules and other prohibitions enforced?
There are certificates of approval of Muslim standards: "halal" certificate (which comes to mean "legal" in terms of food). The products or restaurants with said certificate follow the food regulations established by the Koran.
The problem can occur in those non-Islamic places, where products can contain pork gelatin, for example and it is more complicated to follow the rules established by the Koran.
Globally, "halal" represents 20% of the food trade market.
Traditional dishes of Arabic cuisine
kibbe: the appearance is like that of a meatball and is made with lamb meat, semolina and spices.
fatteh: dish made with crispy fried Arabic bread cut into triangles and watered with yogurt and cooked chickpeas. Depending on the area, nuts, coriander, garlic are added.
Hummus: the chickpea cream that has become popular worldwide and is made up of chickpeas, tahini, lemon and olive oil.
maqluba: made with rice, vegetables, chicken or lamb. The appearance is similar to paella due to the yellow color it presents.
Couscous: a dish made with wheat semolina and meat stew with vegetables cooked in a steamer. It is a dish that can present a multitude of variants.
Baklava: a typical sweet, made with crushed nines, phyllo dough and syrup.
Falafel: we could call it chickpea croquette. It is usually accompanied by yogurt sauce.
There are many typical dishes of Arab cuisine and among them they vary depending on the place where they originate. In any case, we encourage you to try this traditional food to learn a little more about the culture. Since, as we have seen, the culture of each site is reflected in its gastronomy.