SPOTLIGHT HALAL: Sushi (寿司)

SPOTLIGHT HALAL Magazine provides North American Muslims with practical information about food choices. Please ChipIn your support using the widget on the right side of the screen. Shukran.

	ALCOHOL (?)
	Sake and mirin, both Japanese rice wines, are common ingredients in sushi rice. Try our recipe for gravlax, Swedish salt-cured salmon!

WHAT IS IT?
Sushi (寿司) is a Japanese dish of vinegared rice topped with other ingredients, noteably raw fish, seafood and/or vegetables.

There are various types of sushi. In America, the most familiar kinds are maki rolls (makizushi) which are rolled in sheets of nori (dried, pressed seaweed), and nigirizushi which are clumps of hand-formed sushi rice topped with fish, seafood, fresh vegetables and/or egg. Sliced raw fish alone is called sashimi, not sushi.

Common toppings for sushi are: saltwater eel (anago); amberjack (hamachi); mackerel (hikari-mono); tuna (kihada); fatty tuna (toro); salmon (sake); avocado; cucumber; cod (tara); shrimp (ebi); octopus (tako); squid (ika); sweet egg (tamago), and freshwater eel (unagi).

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HOW IS IT MADE?
Sushi is made with sushi rice — white, short-grained, Japanese rice mixed with a dressing made of rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Commonly sake (酒) (pronounced: sa-ki), a traditional Japanese rice wine, or mirin (みりん), a sweet Japanese cooking wine, are added to the sushi rice. Sushi rice is served topped with fresh fish, seafood, egg, fresh vegetables or pickles and served alongside slices of tender pickled ginger, wasabi paste and soy sauce.

Sake is a traditional Japanese rice wine. Its color is clear to white. Sake has an alcohol content of 18-20%, compared to an alcohol content of 12% for typical grape wines. Mirin is a rice wine similar to sake, but very sweet. Mirin has an alcohol content of 14%. When called for, the typical sushi rice recipe uses ¼ cup of sake or mirin. Mirin and sake are stirred to the rice after cooking.

-- Love smoked salmon, but hate the price? Try our Swedish gravlax (cured salmon) recipe. Make it at home and save a bundle! --

WARNING LEVEL: HIGH 
Seafood dishes are often ordered by Muslims who want to avoid eating non-zabiha meat. However, Muslims unfamiliar with Japanese cuisine may not be aware that sushi rice is commonly made with sake or mirin — both Japanese rice wines.

As we have learned in previous issues of Spotlight Halal, Muslims should not automatically assume seafood dishes to be halal. Clam Chowder often contains pork fat, and Shrimp Scampi is made with white wine.

AMNA RECOMMENDS:
Before ordering, ask your waiter to check if that restaurant uses sake or mirin in their sushi rice. Sake is almost never listed as an ingredient of sushi on restaurant menus.

AVOID sushi with deep-fried toppings such as deep fried soft shell crab ('spider roll'), fried tempura shrimp roll ('crunchy roll,' ebifurai-maki), and fried oyster rolls. These are likely deep-fried in the same fryer oil as tonkatsu — deep-fried, breaded pork chops.

SPECIAL NOTE: ALCOHOL & COOKING
AMNA classifies any food that is usually, but not always, made with an alcoholic product as ALCOHOL(?), even if it has been sautéed, simmered, baked or set on fire. The conventional wisdom accepted by just about everyone is that all the alcohol you add to a dish evaporates during cooking. It’s wrong.

In fact, according to a study conducted by the US Department of Agriculture’s Nutrient Data Laboratory, you have to cook something for a good three hours to remove virtually all traces of alcohol.

[ Learn about Alcohol Cook Off Rates ]

SPECIAL NOTE: ARE SHRIMP, OCTOPUS & SQUID HALAL?
Sunni: These foods are halal food in the Malaki, Hanbali and Shafa'i Schools. Within the Hanafi School, there are varying opinions. Shi'a: These foods are not halal in the Jafari School.

WHAT DOES ALCOHOL(?) MEAN?
ALCOHOL(?) is the rating that we give to any food that likely, but not always, contains alcohol or an alcohol-derived product. The "?" next to the wineglass on the icon prompts you to take a second look at foods that you otherwise may not have suspected. Ask informed questions of your waiter when dining out. Take a closer look at the Ingredients list on food packaging. We rate Sushi as ALCOHOL(?) because sake and mirin are common, traditional ingredients in sushi rice.

At SPOTLIGHT HALAL, our Guiding Principle is to provide the diverse Muslim communities living in Western countries with practical information about the wide range of food choices they face on a daily basis, but from an Islamic perspective. We don’t say a food is haram or halal; we say: "This food is made with alcohol and pork," or, "That food normally contains chicken." Whether or not you observe zabihah, our flexible and informative approach allows you to make informed decisions on what to buy and eat.

SPOTLIGHT RECIPE: Homemade Swedish Gravlax (cured salmon)

SPOTLIGHT HALAL Magazine provides North American Muslims with practical information about food choices. Please ChipIn your support. Shukran.


Forget about spending $12 a pound for Norweigan smoked salmon!

Try this simple recipe for Swedish gravad lax to make at home. Our version yields a tastier slice and firmer texture that you can really sink your teeth into. 

Serve it the traditional Scandinavian way, thinly sliced with mustard on crispbread. You can also try sliced gravlax with cream cheese on a bagel, over a green salad, or as a sushi topping.


YOU'LL NEED...
   1 lb. filet of fresh salmon or steelhead trout, skin off.
      (Choose a thick, firm and smooth filet. Wild-caught sockeye salmon is best.)
   ¼ cup coarse kosher or sea salt
      (Do not use fine table salt, "reduced sodium" or "lite" salt.)
   ¼ cup unbleached sugar
     (Turbinado, or "Sugar in the Raw" brand)
   6 sprigs fresh dill, or 1/8 cup dried dill
   1 teas. whole or crushed white pepper seeds
   1 teas. juniper berries (optional)
   sealable plastic bag or container

DIRECTIONS
When handling the salmon, be sure that your hands are absolutely clean. You'll need 3 days to prepare. If you are not going to eat it directly (it lasts a couple of days) move it to a fresh plastic bag or jar, removing the salty liquid that have formed in the original bag. If you keep it in the original bag the risk is that it may be too salty once you are about to serve it.

   1. WASH fish filet in cold water. Pat dry with paper towels.
   2. (REMOVE skin from unskinned filet, using a sharp knife.)
   3. MIX together salt and sugar in a jar. CHOP dill finely.
   4. PLACE salmon filet on a plate.
   5. RUB a generous amount of sugar/salt mixture on both sides of the filet.
   6. COVER the first, then the other, side of filet with dill, white pepper, and juniper berries.
   7. PLACE salmon in plastic bag. SEAL. PLACE in refrigerator.
   8. TURN OVER plastic bag twice a day for three days.
   9. AFTER three days the salmon is ready to serve.
 11. SLICE thinly with a sharp knife and serve.

SPOTLIGHT HALAL: Chowder

SPOTLIGHT HALAL Magazine provides North American Muslims with practical information about food choices. Please ChipIn your support. Shukran.

	PORK / ALCOHOL (?)
	Chowders are traditionally prepared with salt pork or bacon. Some canned products contain alcohol. View our halal recipe for Authentic Seafood Chowder.

WHAT IS IT?
Chowder is a type of soup popular in New England and Atlantic Canada. Although the word chowder commonly refers to clam chowder, it can be any variety of the rich, chunky and usually creamy soup. Common chowders include corn chowder, seafood chowder and fish chowder. Of the clam chowders, thick and creamy New England Clam Chowder is the most popular variety. Other varieties of clam chowder include the brothy Rhode Island Clam Chowder, milky Maine Clam Chowder and tomato-based Manhattan Clam Chowder.

The word "chowder" was introduced to New England by French-speaking Breton fishermen from Newfoundland, Canada. The fishermen would throw portions of the day's catch and other available foods into a large pot, called a 'chaudron' (a cauldron). In New England, Manhattan clam chowder is considered inferior to the creamy and clear varieties. The tomato-based chowder was a contribution from Portuguese immigrants in Rhode Island. Scornful New Englanders called this modified version "Manhattan-style" clam chowder because in New England calling someone a New Yorker is considered to be an insult.

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HOW IS IT MADE?
Chowder is made by first frying onions and diced potatoes in salt pork or bacon and then cooking these further in a fish or seafood broth or clam juice. Sometimes corn or celery is added. Towards the end of cooking, milk, evaporated milk or cream is added, and then finally fresh chopped clams or other seafood.

Salt pork is the salted, preserved belly fat of pigs. It is used to flavor many traditional American dishes including chowders and Boston baked beans. Salt pork is similar to bacon, but unsmoked and much fattier and saltier. Unlike with bacon, it is the fat of salt pork that is used as a flavoring, but the small amount of attached pork meat is not. Some modern recipes call for bacon to impart a mildly smokey flavor. Butter can be used in place of either.

WARNING LEVEL: HIGH 
Clam Chowder is a very popular soup with Muslims who order seafood dishes to avoid eating meat. Because salt pork is a fat, not a meat, it is impossible to see it in the chowder. Salt pork is almost never listed as an ingredient on restaurant menus. Chowders containing bacon are easier to detect. These chowders have small pink bits floating in the soup.

Some canned varieties of chowder may not contain pork, but will list an alcoholic beverage like sherry, brandy or a wine like chablis in its ingredients.

Homemade Clam Chowder. Yum!

AMNA RECOMMENDS
No matter what kind of chowder you're buying—clam, fish, corn or chicken, Manhattan or New England style—check the ingredients. If the chowder contains 'bacon', 'salt pork', 'sherry', 'brandy' or 'chablis', skip it. When eating out, ask your waiter if that restaurant uses salt pork or bacon in their clam chowder recipe.

A big pot of tasty, satisfying New England clam chowder is easy to make at home for under $15. Try our authentic New England recipe. If that doesn't work for you, see our SPOTLIGHT REVIEW of popular chowder brands.

SPOTLIGHT REVIEW: CHOWDER
Click on any of the chowder products below to see a listing of brands, their products and SPOTLIGHT HALAL's rating on each. To know how we did it, read our methodology (next section).

Canned Chowders

BRAND	VARIETY	CONTAINS...	RATING
Bar Harbor®	Cherrystone Clam Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
	Corn Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
	Fish Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
	Lobster Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
	Manhattan-Style Clam Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
	New England Clam Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
	Salmon Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
Campbell's®	Chunky Healthy Request Soup, New England Clam Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
	Chunky Healthy Request Soup, Chicken Corn Chowder	Artificial bacon flavor (from soy). Contains chicken.
	Chunky Soup, New England Clam Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
	Chunky Soup, Chicken Corn Chowder	Bacon
	Condensed Manhattan Clam Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
	Condensed New England Clam Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
	Select Harvest, New England Clam Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
Kettle Cuisine®	Clam Chowder, New England (box)	Salt Pork
Natural Sea®	Clam Chowder, New England Style	no pork or alcohol products.
New England Country Soup®	New England Clam Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
	Chicken Corn Chowder	no pork or alcohol products. Contains chicken.
Phillips®	New England Style Clam Chowder (box)	Bacon
	Crab & Corn Chowder	White Wine, chicken
	Crab & Shrimp Chowder	White Wine, chicken
	Cream of Crab Soup	Sherry, chicken
Progresso®	Rich & Hearty New England Clam Chowder	Chablis Wine, Brandy
	Rich & Hearty Chicken Corn Chowder	Bacon
	Traditional 99% Fat Free New England Clam Chowder	Chablis Wine, Brandy
	Traditional Manhattan Clam Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
	Traditional New England Clam Chowder	no pork or alcohol products.
Taste Adventure®	Sweet Corn Chowder (pouch)	no pork or alcohol products.
Wolfgang Puck's®	Organic Corn Chowder	Alcohol
	This list was compiled & published by SPOTLIGHT HALAL Magazine.

RESTAURANT Chowders

RESTAURANT	VARIETY	CONTAINS...	RATING
Friendly's Restaurants (New York, New England)	Homestyle Clam Chowder	bacon bits
Legal Sea Foods[1] (New England, NY/NJ, Mid-Atlantic states, GA, FL)	Legal Seafood Clam Chowder	salt pork
	Legal's Inaugural Fish Chowder	monterey jack cheese
Phillips Seafood (NY/NJ, Mid-Atlantic states, GA)	New England Style Clam Chowder	bacon
	for other Phillips Seafood chowder varieties, see above
	This list was compiled & published by SPOTLIGHT HALAL Magazine.

HOW WE DID IT:
Our goal was to compile as thorough a list of chowder brands  as possible, identifying which are made with pork products like bacon or salt pork and/or alcohol. Information for each product was taken off of the products' Ingredients lists, or in the case of restaurant foods, off the restaurant's web site or published cookbook. All ingredients listed are current as of the date of this article's publication. Because product recipes and ingredients change, be sure to check a product's Ingredient list at the time of purchase.

SPECIAL NOTE: ARE CLAMS HALAL?
Sunni: Clams are halal food in the Malaki, Hanbali and Shafa'i Schools. Within the Hanafi School, there are varying opinions.

Shi'a: Jafaris do not consider clams to be halal.
And the two seas are not alike―the one palatable, sweet, and pleasant to drink, and the other salty and bitter.  Yet from each (kind of water) do ye eat flesh fresh and tender and ye extract ornaments to wear; and thou seest the ships therein that plough the waves, that ye may seek (thus) of the Bounty of Allah that ye may be grateful.
—The Qur'an. Suratu Faatir: 12

CAN MUSLIMS USE KOSHER SYMBOLS TO KNOW IF CHOWDER IS HALAL?
NO. Clams, shrimp and other mollusks and cephalopods (squid, octopus, etc.) are not kosher.[2] Chicken chowder can not be kosher because it goes against the halachic prohibition against mixing meat and dairy (milk, cream, etc.) in the same meal. This means that you won't find a kosher symbol on a can of clam, seafood or chicken chowder even if it doesn't contain a pig product like pork fat or bacon. You need to turn the can around to look at the ingredients list.

SPECIAL NOTE: ALCOHOL AND COOKING
AMNA classifies any food that has been made with an alcoholic product as ALCOHOL, even if it has been sautéed, simmered, baked or set on fire. The conventional wisdom accepted by just about everyone is that all the alcohol you add to a dish evaporates during cooking. It’s wrong.

In fact, according to a study conducted by the US Department of Agriculture’s Nutrient Data Laboratory, you have to cook something for a good three hours to remove virtually all traces of alcohol. After it has simmered for 15 minutes, 40% of the alcohol remains in the canned chowder.

-- Learn more about Alcohol cook-off times at: http://www.isitharam.com/halal_info/prohibited/alcohol_cooking.jsp --

		PORK is the rating that we give to any food that always contains pork or a pig-derived product.
		ALCOHOL is the rating that we give to any food that always contains alcohol, even if it has been cooked.
		HALAL(?) is the rating that we give to food that 1). Commonly contains meat from a halal animal that may not have been zabiha-slaughtered; 2). To food containing cheese possibly made with animal rennet; 3). Certain seafood whose permissibility varies according to methhab.
		HALAL is the rating that we give to food that is always halal. In line with the Quran and Sunna, IsItHaram.com and SPOTLIGHT HALAL includes all seafood in this rating.

At SPOTLIGHT HALAL, our Guiding Principle is to provide the diverse Muslim communities living in Western countries with practical information about the wide range of food choices they face on a daily basis, but from an Islamic perspective. We don’t say a food is haram or halal; we say: "This food is made with alcohol and pork," or, "That food normally contains chicken." Whether or not you observe zabihah, our flexible and informative approach allows you to make informed decisions on what to buy and eat.

REFERENCES:

[1] The Legal Seafood Cookbook. Legal Seafoods Clam Chowder.
[2] Torah. Leviticus 11: 9-12

LEGAL
All brands described in this article are registered trademarks of their owners. Bar Harbor® is a registered trademark of Bar Harbor Foods, Inc.; Campbell's® is a registered trademark of Campbell Soup Company; Kettle Cuisine® is a registered trademark of Kettle Cuisine; Natural Sea® is a trademark of Natural Sea; New England Country Soup® is a registered trademark of New England Country Foods, LLC; Phillips® is a registered trademark of Phillips Seafood Restaurants; Progresso® is a registered trademark of Betty Crocker, a General Mills company; Taste Adventure® is a registered trademark of Will-Pak Foods, Inc.; Wolfgang Puck's® is a registered trademark of Country Gourmet Foods, LLC; Legal Sea Foods® is a registered trademark of Legal Sea Foods; Friendly's® is a registered trademark of Friendly Ice Cream Corporation; Phillips® is a registered trademark of Phillips Seafood Restaurants.

HARAM: Animals

Categories of haram Animals

Listed below, the basic Islamic principles of permissibility and impermissibility, within the Hanafi School of Thought, with regards to animal consumption. Muslim scholars[1] have classified prohibited (haram) land and air animals into six categories. These are:

1. Animals specifically stated in the Quran and Sunnah as haram, such as domestic donkeys and pigs.
2. Animals restricted by certain characteristics and criteria, like fanged beasts of prey (predators) and birds with talons.
3. Scavengers that feed on carrion (dead animals), like vultures, crow, insects.
4. Whatever is pernicious and causes harm, injury, ruin, like rats, snakes, scorpions, raccoon, and the kite hawk.
5. Whatever is born as a result of copulation between two animal species, one of which is lawful to be eaten and the other which is prohibited, like the mule.
6. Whatever the Shari'ah has ordered us to kill, like the five pernicious animals, and what Allah has forbidden us from killing, like the frog, the hoopoe (a crested bird) and the shrike (a bird with a hooked, jagged bill).

All other animals and birds are considered lawful, according to the rule stating that anything is deemed halal (lawful)[2, 3] until proved otherwise.

Things to Keep in Mind

1. Each of the four Sunni (Shafa'i, Maliki, Hanbali & Hanafi) and the Shi'a (Jafari) Schools of Thought developed principles of permissibility with regards to which animals are lawful (halal) and which are unlawful (haram) for consumption. That being said, the basis for their jurisprudence (fiqh) is the common source of guidance for all Muslims—the Quran & Sunnah. While the principles above are representative of the whole, variations may exist.
2. There are separate rules with regards to slaughtering and hunting halal animals. Failure to comply with these rules may render the meat of a halal animal haram.
3. The jallalah of halal animals (cows, chicken, camels, etc.) are temporarily excluded from the lawful foods until they can be cleansed.

A list haram animals

ANIMAL	HALAL	COMMENTS
Boar	No
Cephalopods octopus, squid, cuttlefish	Yes*	Sunni: Hanafi fiqh split on its legality. Halal in all other sunni Schools of Thought. Shi'a: Not halal in Jafari.
Crustaceans crab, lobster, crawfish	Yes*	Sunni: Hanafi fiqh split on its legality. Halal in all other sunni Schools of Thought. Shi'a: Not halal in Jafari.
Donkey	No
Frog	No
Horse	Yes*	While permitted, eating horse meat is hated (makrouh).
Insects carmine, shellac, cheese mites	No*	The Arabian locust is the only insect that is allowed by both halal and kosher dietary laws.
Pig swine, boar	No
Predators, Air hawk, owl, falcon	No
Predators, Land bear, dog, alligator, snake	No
Scavengers, Carrion Eaters buzzards, raccoon, worms	No*	Scavenging sea creatures are permitted.
Shellfish mussels, clams, oysters	Yes*	Sunni: Hanafi fiqh split on its legality. Halal in all other sunni Schools of Thought. Shi'a: Not halal in Jafari.
Snails	No
Zebra	Yes*	A wild donkey, zebra meat is permissible.

HALAL: Animals

What are the halal animals?

The following animals are halal for eating. This list is not inclusive.

Non-Predatory Birds:
Capon; Chicken; Dove; Duck; Francolin (a partridge); Goose; Heron; Hoopoe (hudhud); Lark; Nightingale; Ostrich; Parrot; Partridge; Peacock; Pigeon; Squab; Quail; Rooster; Sparrow; Starling; Stork

Herbivorous Land Animals:
Antelope; Buffalo; Camel; Caribou; Cow; Deer; Gazelle; Goat; Rabbit; Sheep (lamb); Stag; Wild-Ass such as Zebra (domesticated donkeys are haram according to hadith)

Fish and Seafood*
*Shi'a (Jafari mathhab) limit to fish with scales. Sunni mathahib permit all food from the sea.

The Arabian Locust (hadith on the locust)


Related Topics:
A comparative list of kosher and halal animals
A list of haram animals
Supermarket Meat
Zabihah, the Islamic method of slaughter
The jallalah (impure) of halal animals

KOSHER, HALAL Comparison

Jewish dietary law, kashruth, has differences and similarities to Islamic dietary law. Understanding when kosher helps us and when it hinders us from keeping halal is key to raising awareness with manufacturers, distinguishing ourselves as a market of our own, and driving the demand for halal food products.

Alcohol
In Islam, alcohol and alcohol-derived products including (most) wine vinegars are prohibited—even when used in cooking. 

Alcohol is kosher, however, all grape products, including wines, brandies and other grape-based alcohols must be prepared under Orthodox Rabbinic supervision. For a wine to be kosher, it cannot be produced by non-Jews. All other (non-grape) alcoholic drinks can be certified kosher, so long as it contains no non-kosher ingredients and the equipment used to prepare it is inspected under the supervision of a rabbi.

Pig
In Islam, the eating or application (cosmetics, for example) of pig products (pork, gelatin, etc.) is forbidden.

In Judaism, the eating of pig products is forbidden. However, the injection (injectable collagen) or application of pig derived products is largely not forbidden. There have been recent rabbinical rulings that suggest a trend away from the religious permissibility of topical and injectable pig-derived products, however.

Blood
In Islam, the eating or drinking of blood that has flowed from flesh is prohibited. A slaughtered animal must be thoroughy exsanguinated (drained of all flowing blood). Accordingly, while preparing meat for cooking, Muslims routinely wash raw meat, soaking it in a solution of vinegar and water, or water and salt, to further draw out surface blood from the meat.

For meat to be kosher, all blood and large blood vessels must be removed from the meat. This is most commonly done by soaking and salting, but also can be done by a special broiling process. The hindquarters of a mammal are not kosher unless the sciatic nerve and the fat surrounding it are removed. 

Cheeses
Islam has no prohibition against mixing meat and dairy products. Cheese is allowed in the Muslim diet. However, Muslims concerned with the slaughter of the calf from which the rennet came may choose to eat kosher or vegetarian cheeses to avoid doubtful areas.

For any cheese to be kosher, whether or not it is made with GM, microbial or animal rennet, it must be "Jewish cheese" (gevinat Yisrael) – cheese produced by a Jew or by a Jewish owned company.
1) Contrary to common knowledge, the use of animal rennet in cheesemaking does not go against the kashrut prohibition against eating meat and dairy together.
2) Rabbinical opinions differ as to whether animal rennet must come from a kosher-slaughtered calf.[1, 3]

Dead Meat
Islamic and Jewish both prohibit the eating of dead meat. It is forbidden to eat the meat from an animal that died of illness, a blow, by trapping, or a natural death, or any animal killed in any manner other than by slaughter or the hunt (not permissible in Judaism).[4] 

Insects
Islam prohibits eating insects, except for the Arabian locust. Vegetables must be washed to remove insects. 

Eating insects violates 3-6 laws of the Torah; so it is a greater sin than the consumption of pork in Jewish law.[5] However, as in Islam, certain sub-species of locust are kosher. To be kosher, vegetables, especially leafy vegetables must be checked for insect infestation.

Mixing Meat and Milk Products
Islam does not forbid the eating of meat and dairy in the same meal. 

Jewish dietary law forbids: 1) cooking meat and milk together in any form; 2) eating such cooked products, or 3) deriving benefit from them. As a safeguard, the Rabbis extended this prohibition to disallow the eating of meat and dairy products at the same meal or preparing them with the same utensils. Milk products cannot be consumed after eating meat, for a period of time. Most customs say to wait six hours. Prior to eating meat after dairy, one must eat a solid food, either drink a liquid or thoroughly rinse one’s mouth, and check the cleanliness of ones hands.

Slaughter
In both zabiha and shechita, the Islamic and Jewish methods of slaughter, the animal must be in good health and fully conscious. Before either zabiha or shechita occurs, the slaughterer recites a blessing, saying: 

Islamic zabiha: "Bismillah, hal raHmaan ar-raHeem (In the Name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful)."

Jewish shechita: "Blessed are You... Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning slaughtering."[6]

Both must use an extremely sharp knife and swiftly, and with enough depth, cut through the major veins of the neck. Lastly, for the meat to be halal or kosher, the animal must be drained of all flowing blood. 

Utensils
Islam does not mandate seperate utensils. Utensils previously used to prepare pork or another haram substance must be thoroughly washed while the Islamic statement of faith (shehadah) spoken.

A kosher kitchen must have two different sets of utensils, one for meat and poultry and the other for dairy foods. There must be separate, distinct sets of pots, pans, plates and silverware.

A comparative list of kosher and halal animals

ANIMAL	KOSHER7	HALAL	NOTES
Antelope	Yes	Yes
Boar	No	No
Buffalo	Yes	Yes
Camel	No	Yes
Cephalopods octopus, squid, cuttlefish	No	Yes*	Sunni: Hanafi fiqh split on its legality. Halal in all other Sunni Traditions. Shi'a: Not halal in Jafari.
Cow	Yes	Yes
Crustaceans crab, lobster, crawfish	No	Yes*	Sunni: Hanafi fiqh split on its legality. Halal in all other Sunni Traditions. Shi'a: Not halal in Jafari.
Deer	Yes	Yes
Donkey	No	No
Frog	No	No
Goat	Yes	Yes
Horse	No	Yes*	Horse meat is considered makrouh tanzih (Shafa'i) and makrouh tahreem (Malaki, Hanbali, Hanafi).
Insects carmine, shellac, cheese mites	No*	No*	The Arabian locust is both halal and kosher.
Ostrich	No	Yes
Pig swine, boar	No	No
Predators, Air hawk, owl, falcon	No	No
Predators, Land bear, dog, alligator, snake	No	No
Predators, Sea	No	Yes*	Sunni: Hanafi fiqh split on its legality. Halal in all other Sunni Traditions. Shi'a: Not halal in Jafari.
Scavengers, Carrion Eaters buzzards, raccoon, worms	No	No*	Scavenging sea creatures are permitted.
Sheep	Yes	Yes
Shellfish mussels, clams, oysters	No	Yes*	Sunni: Hanafi fiqh split on its legality. Halal in all other Sunni Traditions. Shi'a: Not halal in Jafari.
Snails	No	No
Zebra	No	Yes

Related Topics:
What is the size of the U.S. Market for halal products
Kosher: Under-serving Muslim Consumers
What are the advantages to producing halal foods for companies already producing kosher foods?
What are the halal animals?
What are the haram animals?
What is zabiha?
How does AMNA judge foods containing meat?
BLOOD: In Islam, it's Haram

References:
[1] Gordimer, Rabbi A. "How is Cheese Made Kosher?" AskMoses.com reprinted from OUKosher.org. (Retrieved: March 26, 2009)
http://www.askmoses.com/en/article/555,2097191/How-is-cheese-made-kosher.html
[2] Wikipedia: Kashruth : Vegetarianism. (Retrieved March 26, 2009) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashruth#Vegetarianism
[3] "Wikipedia: Kashruth : How Kashrut is viewed by contemporary Judaism. (Retrieved March 26, 2009)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashruth#How_kashrut_is_viewed_by_contemporary_Judaism
[4] Luban, Rabbi Yaakov "The Kosher Primer," The OU website: http://oukosher.org/index.php/common/article/the_kosher_primer/P1/
[5] Positive Mitzvah #151: Searching for the prescribed signs in grasshoppers. Leviticus 11.21
[6] Hecht, Rabbi Mendy. "What is kosher meat?" Ask Moses.com. http://www.askmoses.com/article/553,2193106/What-is-kosher-meat.html
[7] Hecht, Rabbi Mendy. "What are kosher animals?" Ask Moses.com. http://www.askmoses.com/article/277,180/What-are-kosher-animals.html

KOSHER: Meats

Kosher Animals
Kosher animals are creatures that meet the Torah's criteria for what's permissible for Jews to consume. Kosher means 'fit', and kosher animals are animals that are fit for Jews to eat. Kashruth prohibits all predators, whether land, air or sea as well as all insects except for certain sub-species of locust.

Kosher mammals and birds must be slaughtered according to shechita (שחיטה), or 'the slaughter'.[1] 

Land Animals
Kosher land animals must have completely split hooves and they must chew their cud, like the goat, sheep, deer and cow. They cannot be predators or otherwise eat meat. Pawed animals like the dog, cat and rodents and all round hooved animal like the horse and the donkey are not kosher.[2, 3]

Birds
Kosher laws applying to birds are the same as those for land animals—if a bird kills other animals regularly for its own food, eats meat, or is known to be dangerous, it's not kosher. Raptors, eagles, hawks, owls and other hunting birds, vultures and other carrion-eating birds, and storks, kingfishers, penguins and other fish-eating birds are not kosher. Ostriches and other giant fowl, which are capable of killing you or otherwise ruining your day, are also forbidden. Ducks, geese, turkeys, and chicken are kosher.[2, 4]

Fish
For aquatic creatures, the Torah lays down two simple laws: the creature must have fins, and the creature must have scales. Crustaceans, shellfish, squid and octopi have neither. Sharks, whales, and dolphins have fins but not scales.[5]

Meat & Dairy
The mixing of meat and dairy in the same meal period is forbidden under kosher law. This means that cheeseburgers and chicken pizza are not kosher.

Kosher Slaughter[6] (שחיטה) 
Jewish method of slaughter, shechita, has similar requirements to Islamic zabiha; kosher meat is acceptable for Muslims to eat. This section describes several aspects of the shechita process against requirements for zabiha.

As in Islam, Jewish law states that kosher mammals and birds must be slaughtered according to a strict set of guidelines, known as 'the slaughter' or shechita (שחיטה). This necessarily eliminates the practice of hunting wild game for food, unless it can be captured alive and then ritually slaughtered; this is not the case in Islamic law.

The Slaughter
As with zabiha, a professional slaughterer, or shochet (שוחט), using a large razor-sharp knife with absolutely no irregularities, nicks or dents, and checked carefully between killing each animal, makes a single cut across the throat to a precise depth, severing both carotid arteries, both jugular veins, the vagus nerve, the trachea and the esophagus, no higher than the epiglottis and no lower than where cilia begin inside the trachea, causing the animal to bleed to death. Islamic law dictates that the slaughterer not allow the animal to see the knife.

Any variation from this exact procedure invalidates the process, rendering the carcass not kosher (nevela). It is sold as regular meat to the general public.

The Slaughterer
Similar to Islamic requirements, the shochet must not only be rigorously trained in this procedure, but also a pious Jew of good character who observes the Sabbath, and who remains cognizant that these are God's creatures who are sacrificing their lives for the good of himself and his community and should not be allowed to suffer in any way shape or form. In smaller communities, the shochet was often the town rabbi or the rabbi of one of the local synagogues; large factories which produce Kosher meat have professional full time shochtim on staff. 

Physical Inspection (bedika)
As with zabiha, before slaughter, the shochet inspects the animal for illness, lesions, evidence of bruising or broken bones. Ill or maimed animals are not fit to be kosher. 

After the animal has been properly slaughtered, a trained inspector (bodek) inspects the internal organs for any abnormalities that may render the animal non-kosher (treif). There are seventy different irregularities or growths on an animal's internal organs, which would render the animal non-kosher. The lungs, in particular, must be examined in order to determine that they are smooth (glatt). If scarring is found, the bodek must further examine it carefully to determine its kashrus status.

Stunning
As with zabiha, the animal must be in good health and fully conscious at the time of shechita, however, compromises in countries (such as the U.K.) with animal cruelty laws that prohibit such practices involve stunning the animal to lessen the suffering that occurs while the animal bleeds to death. However, the use of electric shocks to daze the animal is often not accepted by some markets as producing meat which is Kosher.

Removing Blood
As does the Quran, the Torah forbids the consumption of the blood of an animal. The two Torah accepted methods of extracting blood from meat, a process referred to as “koshering”, are either salting or broiling.[7]

Unlike in Islam, kosher law requires that meat be koshered (soaked in salt) within 72 hours after slaughter so as not to allow the blood to congeal. If meat has been thoroughly soaked prior to the 72 hours limit, an additional seventy-two hours time stay is granted to complete the first step of the salting process.

Unlike in Islam, the hindquarters of a mammal are not kosher unless the sciatic nerve and the fat surrounding it are removed.[8] This is a very time-consuming process demanding a great deal of special training, and is rarely done outside Israel where there is a greater demand for kosher meat. When it is not done the hindquarters of the animal are sold for non-kosher meat.

Related Topics:
Kosher v. Halal: What are the differences and similarities of kosher and halal?
A comparison of kosher and halal animals
What are the halal animals?
What are the haram animals?
What is zabiha?
How does AMNA judge foods containing meat?
BLOOD: In Islam, it's Haram

References:
[1] Hecht, Rabbi Mendy. "What is kosher meat?" Ask Moses.com. http://www.askmoses.com/article/553,2193106/What-is-kosher-meat.html
[2] Hecht, Rabbi Mendy. "What are kosher animals?" Ask Moses.com. http://www.askmoses.com/article/277,180/What-are-kosher-animals.html
[3] Positive Mitzvah #149: Searching for the prescribed signs in cattle and animals. Leviticus 11.2
[4] Positive Mitzvah #150: Searching for the prescribed signs in birds. Deuteronomy 14.11
[5] Positive Mitzvah #152: Searching for the prescribed signs in fish. Leviticus 11.9
[6] Luban, Rabbi Yaakov "The Kosher Primer," The OU website: http://oukosher.org/index.php/common/article/the_kosher_primer/P1/
[7] Kumer, Dinka. "Why is it so important to drain all the blood from kosher meat?" Ask Moses.com. http://www.askmoses.com/article/146,88523/Why-is-it-so-important-to-drain-all-the-blood-from-kosher-meat.html
[8] Genesis 32, last verse