Taboos of Hui people’s diet

It is forbidden to fast from dead animals, blood, pork, and animals slaughtered without chanting the name of God according to Islamic law. It is also strictly forbidden to drink alcohol. Hui people in different regions and different sects will have more detailed differences in their habits on this basis, and there is no absolutely unified implementation standard.

A few years ago, I helped out for half a month at a halal restaurant run by my cousin in Guyuanfang, Xihai, Ningxia. On the first day I entered the kitchen, the chef in charge, Mr. Ma, pulled me to look at the neck of the lamb that had just been delivered to the freezer: "You touch this, it's still warm. It was just slaughtered by the imam, and the blood was drained cleanly. If I encounter a sheep that fell to death or died of illness on the road, even if the boss is my nephew, I will never touch it." ”I laughed at him for being so serious at the time, but later I learned that this is a habit engraved in the bones of most Hui people - most of the dead animals are infected or weak, and germs are easy to remain in the blood. These rules were originally passed down from the survival experience of the nomadic era, and were later combined with Islamic teachings and regulations, and gradually became the dietary consensus of the entire ethnic group.

It's interesting to say that the Hui people in different places actually have quite different standards of taboos. I went to Quanzhou two years ago and found a Hui restaurant that has been open for hundreds of years. The curry crab served by the owner was so fragrant that I rubbed my hands. In my hometown in Gansu, some conservative old people must think that seafood without scales and gills is "unclean" and cannot be touched. However, Quanzhou is close to the sea and the rules passed down for hundreds of years have long been integrated with local life. As long as it is live and clean, most seafood can be eaten. In other places, influenced by Sufi teachings, even animals with one hoof that do not chew cud, such as horses, donkeys, and mules, are forbidden to eat food. Some Hui people in the suburbs even do not eat strong-flavored ingredients such as leeks and garlic for fear of having a peculiar smell on their bodies during worship. These are differences caused by places and sects, and cannot be applied to all Hui people.

As for the most curious thing about why pork is forbidden, there are actually many explanations. The teachings say that pigs are unclean because of their "greedy nature, filthy appearance, and filthy food". This is the most common explanation. Some scholars have verified that the ancient Arabian Peninsula was arid and lacked rain. Raising pigs not only destroyed the scarce vegetation, but also easily spread swine fever. There were many cases of death from eating infected pork. Over time, it became a taboo for the entire ethnic group. When my grandma was still alive, she always told me that there was no great truth. The rule passed down from our ancestors was that if you don’t eat it, you just don’t eat it. Don’t ask why. It’s just like someone who is allergic to mangoes. There is no need to get to the bottom of it.

I have met foreign tourists who came to the halal restaurant several times to eat. They were trying to go in with the pork breasts they bought. Most of the bosses would not be angry. They would just stop them with a smile and point to the note posted on the door saying "Please do not bring in non-halal food": "It's not that I don't want to give you face. The knives for cutting meat and the plates for serving vegetables are all separated from the outside. If they smell of pork, the old neighbors around me will not come to eat here next time. This is our bottom line." ”In fact, it is not as exclusive as everyone thinks, it is just a living habit.

Of course, not all Hui people strictly abide by these rules. My cousin grew up in Shenzhen, and his grandmother is the only one who believes in religion. He usually doesn’t ask to go to a halal restaurant when having dinner with friends. He just avoids pork and alcohol. Some completely secular Hui families will even eat pork. This is a personal choice, and there is no need to criticize it. To put it bluntly, these dietary taboos are living habits that have been combined with religious teachings, survival experience, and ethnic identity for thousands of years. They are neither mysterious nor special, and it is enough to respect each other.