Halal rundown - muslim mumsnetters?

[Plinkyplonky2]

Hello folks

we have a new nanny starting who is quite devout muslim. She’s said she’s only comfortable handling halal food which I totally understand and respect. I’ve done some research and from our local sains i’ll just get chicken, mince etc from the halal section of the store.

But i seem to recall there’s more to it than just meat… what am i missing? If memory serves it’s also no shellfish (?) no fermented products (? Soy sauce? Vinegar?) had a muslim housemate at uni and we used to cook together sometimes but that was ages back.

What about dairy? I guess we need special stock cubes?

This lady is lovely and mary poppins with the kids so i want to make sure she feels comfortable in the house and that she has ingredients she can work with.

Anyone help with a crash course?

Surely not white wine and cider vinegar tho?

Why would a nanny (Muslim or not) expect the children she’s looking after to behave like her/practice her religion, or do the things she does? What a strange thing to say.

OP, your intentions are lovely, it’s so nice to hear that you are willing to accommodate her needs. Blanket ones are no alcohol/pork/halal only but some Muslims are more strict than others so it would be worth sitting down with her and asking her exactly what she does/doesn’t do, so you’re both clear on everything :)

Nope. Some contain residual alcohol. But it usually dependa on personal preference. For aome it's fine, for some it isn't.
Fatwas can go either way depending on whp is asked

Wth?! Of course Muslims handle food when fasting?!!!! Most of us have families to feed as well you know! We don't suddenly self-combust upon seeing/touching food 😂😂😂

I know nutmeg is a little controversial, but my daughter has consulted three different Imams now, and has done quite extensive research, and it is definitely considered to be haram because it is an intoxicant if consumed in large quantities. The farm we get her meat from don't use nutmeg in their sausages or burgers because it's forbidden. She lived in Jordan for several years, and it was never used by any of her family or friends who cooked for her. I don't know if it is different with different sects within Islam, but it's definitely something that the OP should check with her new nanny!

ALL vinegars are halal

seekersguidance.org/answers/hanafi-fiqh/are-wine-vinegar-and-spirit-vinegar-permissible/

Nutmeg & mace are halal, it’s commonly used in traditional Arabic and Asian dishes….and no one consumes so much of it to cause hallucinations.
your daughter is just a nutcase

Nothing containing any pork whatsoever. Any other meat purchased must be halal (slaughtered in a certain way). There will be a symbol on the package to confirm this.

Absolutely nothing containing alcohol including any brewed condiment such as vinegar. Some products these days will display "non brewed condiment" on them although most Heinz products are now Halal.

Anything containing gelatin derived from pork is also haram (forbidden) so a lot of sweets and medicines are to be avoided. Also look out for cheese that contains animal rennet. It is best to buy those that use vegetarian rennet.

There are strict rules about preparing a kitchen for a halal meal but most Muslims I know are happy to just rinse the pots and pans, plates and utensils before use when in the home of a non Muslim.

@ginasevern thank you i kept thinking there was something to do with dairy so the cheese rennet thing explains it.

Thank you so much for your words of wisdom. I assume that the imams she has consulted are also 'nutcases' as are all of her husband's family. A little online research very clearly shows that nutmeg is considered to be haram by many scholars.

Thanks everyone for comments this is really helpful and shows up how much personal preference and individual cultural tradition is important so i’ll get in the basics and just check with her the rest. But it does help that I have an idea so she doesn’t feel like it’s all on her to educate me, i want to feel i’m meeting her halfway in creating a supportive work environment.

For context my kids are HARD WORK (SEN) so anyone who can handle them deserves a medal, as well as access to religiously-appropriate snacks 😉

That’s not very friendly! Obviously there’s as much diversity within Islam as there is Christianity or any other major religious faith.

No, but a LOT of people I knew didn't cook during the day over Ramadan, except for just before Iftar.
The kids had cold food during the day, and most cooking happened in the evenings.
It was the pattern I saw living in a Muslim country.

@dottypencilcase

All vinegars are halal.

No, they are not and neither is anything containing them. It is possible to buy non brewed condiments to enjoy vinegar or tomato ketchup etc.

OP, I meant to add that it would not be ideal to have anything depicting a pig in the house, in the unlikely event that you do. Some Muslims will not eat Percy Pig sweets for example even though the ingredients are actually halal.

My Jordanian is quite surprised at that actually

It really depends who you ask. Some disagree. Many agree. Which is actually a case with quite a few ingredients.

@Growlybear83

It is perfectly permissible to use nutmeg in small amounts as a flavouring. Just a small sprinkle is fine - I cannot imagine anyone would want to use more than that!

That's the first I've ever heard about nutmeg! My grandmother always used it and was (after my Dad and his next oldest brother) the strictest in our family regarding what was and wasn't haram.

Forgive me if I haven't seen this mentioned...

We have a mix of Muslims and non Muslims in our family. We're very strict about utensils. So nothing that's touched pork or anything that isn't Halal. We got around this by getting a set of lime green pans and lime green handled utensils that is kept in a separate cupboard and we know never to touch (as non muslims will have a fry up including bacon or pork sausages etc when muslims out the house).

Also, our family was forbidden from any dancing and certain music in my grandparents house, even the little children so that might be something to take into account with a nanny (i.e she may not be able to do dancing games with the children or participate in party games/toddler groups activities depending on how observant she is).

@Growlybear83 Really interested to hear which organic halal farm you use. Ive previously looked into and its veryyyyy expensive but trying harder to go organic. Sorry OP for hijacking!

@All2Well

That's a very good point about dancing. Dancing is not mentioned in the Quran and is therefore considered haram. I would imagine though that the OP's nanny would be relaxed about non Muslim children dancing at a children's party or child specific setting. Assuming there is no sexualisation in the movements or music.

Interesting. Never in my life have I been to a party where Muslim children weren't allowed to dance. And I grew up in a Muslim country.

Dancing is actually a big part of my culture.

Oooh dancing and music are another interesting one with opposing opinions. Considering things like... Dabke

@ginasevern Yes, I more mean that if the nanny was expected to join in herself (like at a Hartbeeps type group or showing the kids how to play musical statues or something).

Yes, excellent point. The OP really will have to ascertain the nanny's position on this.