Introduction to Malaysian Food: Halal versus Haraam

Seafood at our local 'pasar malam' (night market)
in Besut.

My readers who personally know me, know that I can be a bit of a picky eater. And, I hate to even mention it, but I am not much a seafood person. I will eat it. However, if I were to get a choice between chicken and fish, it would be chicken every time. - A little ironic that I was placed in a fishing village with an economy that is based heavily on the fishing industry.

This man is preparing fresh sugarcane juice. The way foods
are handled and prepared have to be halal for the Muslim
community. 

Halal is a term in Arabic that describes any object or action as permissible to use or engage in. This is based on Islamic law. The opposite of halal is haraam. In terms of food, halal foods are foods that follow Islamic dietary guidelines and are okay to eat. All in all, halal criteria specifies how foods must be prepared and what foods are allowed. For example, alcohol is forbidden under Islamic law, as well as pork products. Therefore, in Besut, it was not possible to find pork, a cold brew or any haraam products. In bigger Malaysian cities, both halal and haraam products could be found, but they were clearly identified and separated. For example, the grocery stores in Kuala Lumpur have the 'halal section' and a separate ‘haraam section.' Needless to say, because pork is my favorite meat, I missed it tremendously during my time in Besut, Malaysia.

Although Besut's markets and stores sold halal products,
it had no impact on my baking! My cookies were halal and
I often brought them to school for my students. This is last
Valentine's Day when I created sugar cookies for my
roommate and I to celebrate this American (and perhaps
Hallmark) holiday.

Overall, it was an eye-opening experience to live within a culture that was aware of dietary restrictions and limitations. Personally, it was not easy for me as I had never lived with dietary restrictions before. And yes, of course, there were times I craved my mom’s pork roast with a Guinness on the side, as well as nights I laid up dreaming of the cracker crust on my mom's breaded pork tenderloin. However, during my time in Besut, in terms of food, I lived halal. I respected their culture and always took it into consideration, whether it was choosing an American candy to bring into the classroom or deciding which foods to use for my English camps.