Yallah Middle East 2.0

[sarah and hicham 3]

I was talking to Hicham about eating pork... he said there is a kind that he can eat? Does anyone know about this? I thought he couldn't eat any pork.... then he was like some pork doesn't come from pigs and I was like WHAT!? Anyone know anything about this?

[MHandMB 0]

Icey, are you talking about merguez? It's sooo good with grilled onions and peppers on a baguette. Yum!

Sarah, maybe he is talking about sausages and hot dogs that come from lamb and cows rather than pork. Amed says stuff like that all the time. We just make sure there are all beef kosher hot dogs at the house so there are never any mix-ups. Now that I'm more conscious of it, it's amazing how many things have pork or pork products in it.

[LaL 418]

Abdel said thatin the Cairo Chili's they serve BACON on their potatoes... but its BACON from cows. Maybe thats what Hicham is referring to, just a *modified recipe* for something we would normally use pork for.

[MrsAmera 41]

B...bbb....bbbbacon?!?! You know with this whole being pregnant thing I am craving bacon - daily. It's so horrible. Aaaand turkey bacon in no way shape or form tastes nearly the same...ahhh...

[UmmSqueakster 54]

Okie Dokie, here goes my huge halal eats schpeil:

Pork, by definition, comes from pigs. However, there are several traditionaly pork products that are now made from non pork meats. There are plenty of beef and turkey hot dogs, turkey bacon, turkey pepperoni, turkey ham, and turkey sausages. But, even if it advertises itself as beef or turkey _____, read the label! Jennie O turkey makes fantastic turkey brats and sausages, but they're cased on pork intestine

Abdel said thatin the Cairo Chili's they serve BACON on their potatoes... but its BACON from cows. Maybe thats what Hicham is referring to, just a *modified recipe* for something we would normally use pork for

Yup, the TGIF on the Nile River boat serves bacon cheese burgers with beef bacon, and all the pizza restaurants have beef pepperoni. Coming from countries where pork isn't generally available, it's important for someone who eats halal to ask about everything until they get a feel for things.

One thing that I found interesting (and a little sad) is that some ice cream companies use pork gelatin in their recipes. So, before you buy, call up the customer service line and ask what's kosher, or what kind of gelatin they use. They'll usually send you some free coupons too. The kind my husband and I eat all the time is Eddies. All of their flavors are kosher, except Rockie Road, because of the marshmallows. Soft serve is generally safe.

Marshmallows are generally made with pork gelatin, while the marshmallow fluff stuff you get in jars isn't.

Cooking with alcohol is a general no-no as well, which includes real vanilla extract. I've taken to using vanilla beans to make chocolate chip cookies and cheese cake, and people rave about the vanilla flavor. I'll let the butter get really soft by sitting out for a few hours, scrape the innards of the vanilla bean into it, and let it sit out for a few more hours. Then, I'll either make the cookies or put it in the fridge over night to let the vanilla flavor seep in even more.

Yogurt is sometimes made with pork gelatin, so this is another thing to call and ask customer service about. Yoplait, however, lists their gelatin as kosher, so that's ok.

In general, the kosher labeling means that it doesn't contain any products made from pork, or from pork renderings. There are debates about how strict these labelings are, but for me, it's all too confusing to keep up with, so I just go with it.

Finally, let me just briefly mention the distinction between halal and zabiha. Halal is a general islamic term for permissable. If God allows you to eat it, it's halal. Technically, any kind of beef, chicken and lamb is halal. However, just because it's halal doesn't mean it's zabiha. Zabiha refers to the method of slaughtering an animal (ie throat cut in the name of God, blood drained out). It's up to the individual person whether they'll only eat halal, or if they'll eat zabiha. If zabiha meat isn't readily available, then the person has two choices - eat vegitarian, or eat what is permissable (aka halal) and just start each meal in the name of God (bismillah, a good practice anyways).

Wooo, wasn't that fun?

B...bbb....bbbbacon?!?! You know with this whole being pregnant thing I am craving bacon - daily. It's so horrible. Aaaand turkey bacon in no way shape or form tastes nearly the same...ahhh...

Have you tried baking it in the oven? I don't like the Jennie O turkey bacon. Hmmm, what is the one I get?

If you do have that kind of craving, try the Jennie O turkey ham though. That tastes a lot like real ham. Mmmmm...

[MrsAmera 41]

Awesome! Thanks for the info.. I'm sure as you know the Midwest is pig country and it's inescapable arghhh!!!!!!!!! I'm a little sad about the marshmallows but happy to know about turkey ham - i'm going to try baking the turkey bacon next time.

[UmmSqueakster 54]

Awesome! Thanks for the info.. I'm sure as you know the Midwest is pig country and it's inescapable arghhh!!!!!!!!! I'm a little sad about the marshmallows but happy to know about turkey ham - i'm going to try baking the turkey bacon next time.

Being a Wisconsinite, the two staples of our diet are brats and beer. Yeah, umm, doesn't work too well At least we still have cheese curds!

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Ohhhh that sneaky sneaky pork, hiding in our food This is one of my pet peeves.

It's very common in the U.S. for food manufacturers and services to use pork products (or beef, which I don't eat either) in a wide variety of items, many like Rahma mentioned that you wouldn't even expect. And am I wrong or does every restaurant seem to want to put bacon on everything ??!! It's not even safe ordering a salad or a baked potato or soup without making sure to clearly specify NO BACON NO NO NO BACON.

Here in San Antonio we love our Mexican food. But lard was one of the traditional ingredients.... you will still find it in everything from the refried beans to the flour tortillas. Some places don't use it any more -- they try to make their food more "heart-healthy" and avoid lard, which really raises the saturated fat content. But a lot of restaurants still use it, so you just have to ask.

Resign yourself to reading those labels I was a vegetarian for 9 years, so I'm used to it.

-MK

[sarah and hicham 3]

Thanks!!! Hicham is telling me right now...there's pigs, and there's pork and they're different. One knd of pig that is like cows and one that is not. Oh he is making me laugh. I don't have any idea what he is talking about and I don't think he does either hahaha. He says you can't eat either of them but there are 2 kinds.... so confused oh well. Thanks for the info about the casing I never knew that.

Sarah

[Jenn! 918]

I was disappointed when I bought chicken sausages for Wadi and I at the grocery store, and upon closer inspection, I saw that the casing was still pork. Watch out! The pork is hiding everywhere - we can't escape!

Thanks!!! Hicham is telling me right now...there's pigs, and there's pork and they're different. One knd of pig that is like cows and one that is not. Oh he is making me laugh. I don't have any idea what he is talking about and I don't think he does either hahaha. He says you can't eat either of them but there are 2 kinds.... so confused oh well. Thanks for the info about the casing I never knew that.

Sarah

I bet he's talking about boar.

[noura 0]

another interesting tidbit in this food conversation is "ham".... in morocco, there is a dish Said's family makes that I love.... he calls it "ham w/ tomatoes & egg" tajine. well, the "ham" is ground beef - like our "*ham*burger" that isn't "ham" I had to explain this to him.... ham here is different from ham there - ham is pork here... hamburger is ground beef here - so we'll have some clarifying to do while eating away from home. My family cooks soooooooo much pork!!! gonna be an adjustment for my mom - but she did well w/ me when i was a vegetarian. She always mad a small pot of whatever she cooked w/o meat for me and a big pot w/ meat for everyone else - gotta love the mom!!!

Noura

[a1angied 0]

I so love reading all this information. That way I will not be a complete idiot when I am with Hasan or trying to prepare foods for him. I would of never thought to think about ice cream or mashmellos.

About the coffee since you buy the beans and have to grind them yourself as long as you have a good grinder you can get it just like powder.

[Meriem_DZ 37]

I have no stores near me to buy zabiha meats. There are markets in Memphis but it is a 2 hour drive. I have found this meat market online, Midamar meats. Has anyone ordered from them? I have been eating halal, but now zabiha, but when Hachemi gets here I will have to start. If anyone knows of any other online food stores let me know.

Thanks,

Meriem

[iceyspots 0]

Icey, are you talking about merguez? It's sooo good with grilled onions and peppers on a baguette. Yum!

Sarah, maybe he is talking about sausages and hot dogs that come from lamb and cows rather than pork. Amed says stuff like that all the time. We just make sure there are all beef kosher hot dogs at the house so there are never any mix-ups. Now that I'm more conscious of it, it's amazing how many things have pork or pork products in it.

MMmm... yes I wanted to say Merguez, but I was afraid to look stupid because I wanted to say Murgaz... wasn't too sure about the spelling... Yes they are so yum... And I know what you mean about being aware of the pork products... even at Arabic stores you will find halal gelatin and marshmallows because even those parts come from products that are made from pork or animals that are not prepared in the islamic style of slaughter.

[Bosco 1]

I have no stores near me to buy zabiha meats. There are markets in Memphis but it is a 2 hour drive. I have found this meat market online, Midamar meats. Has anyone ordered from them? I have been eating halal, but now zabiha, but when Hachemi gets here I will have to start. If anyone knows of any other online food stores let me know.

Thanks,

Meriem

Meriem,

I have ordered from Midamar and http://myhalalmeat.com/webshop/customer/home.php

There are places to buy zabihah meat where I live, but they lack variety (we really only get ground beef and chicken breasts). We have gotten lamb but I am not a fan of it so that is for my husband alone, and I don't want to touch goat. For steaks, turkey, lunch meats, I shop online. The Midamar hotdogs are great! The schwarma is greasy but it is a quick meal, yummy and the package is huge. Good steaks too. The one thing with Midamar is there shipping takes longer than they claim. The meat was still cold when it got here, but I don't think it could have gone much longer, and the weather wasn't even that hot then.

Are there are any halal restaurants nearby? They may have a source for zabihah meat. We received a freezer as a wedding gift. We will buy 20-25 pounds each of chicken and beef at a time. They give us a great price, much cheaper than online. If you cannot find a closer place through a restaurant, maybe try buying in bulk and you will only have to make the trip every few months.

Also, keep checking http://www.zabihah.com/ because places are added all the time and you may find one you don't know about.

Rebecca

Edited June 18, 2006 by rhouni