Aisle guide
Deli counter
A deli word is often a style, not a species. Pepperoni, salami and chorizo can be pork, beef or turkey. Prosciutto, pancetta, guanciale and capicola are the pig. Mashbooh is never treated as haram.
Two-minute deli check
- Does the name name the animal? Prosciutto, pancetta, guanciale and capicola are pork. Follow those rows.
- Then the style names. Pepperoni, salami, chorizo, sausage, hot dog, bologna: ask the species, then the slaughter, then the casing.
- Then the slicer. A zabiha brisket sliced on a pork board is a different question from the meat itself.
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Source-dependent
Pepperoni
A cured sausage. US supermarket pepperoni is often pork; beef and turkey versions exist and are not always labelled as such on a pizza. Pork pepperoni…
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Source-dependent
Salami
A fermented, cured sausage. Traditional European salami is pork. Beef, turkey and chicken salami are sold next to it. Until the species and slaughter …
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Source-dependent
Chorizo
A paprika-cured sausage. Spanish and Mexican supermarket chorizo is usually pork. Chicken and beef chorizo exist. The spice blend does not settle the …
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Source-dependent
Sausage
A class, not a species. Pork, beef, chicken and plant sausages share the word. Casings may be collagen, cellulose or natural intestine. Ask the meat, …
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Source-dependent
Hot dog
An emulsified sausage. US hot dogs are often a pork-beef mix; all-beef and turkey franks exist. Casings, smoke flavour and the bun’s E471 are separate…
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Source-dependent
Bologna
A cooked emulsified sausage. Classic US bologna is pork or a pork-beef mix; beef bologna is sold beside it. Lebanon bologna is a different, fermented …
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Source-dependent
Mortadella
A large cooked sausage. Traditional mortadella di Bologna is pork. Turkey mortadella is common in some markets. Pistachio does not change the meat.
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Source-dependent
Bratwurst
A German-style fresh sausage, usually pork, sometimes veal or beef. Beer brats add the alcohol-in-food question on top of the meat. Chicken brats exis…
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Source-dependent
Andouille
A smoked sausage used in gumbo and jambalaya. Louisiana andouille is typically pork. Chicken andouille is sold as a substitute. The cayenne does not s…
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Source-dependent
Kielbasa
Polish smoked sausage. Supermarket kielbasa is often pork or pork-beef; turkey kielbasa is labelled as such. Garlic and smoke do not name the species.
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Source-dependent
Luncheon meat
A canned emulsified loaf. Many tins are pork; chicken and beef luncheon meats exist in the same aisle. The pink colour is not a ruling. Read the speci…
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Source-dependent
Liverwurst
A spreadable liver sausage. Classic recipes are pork liver and pork fat. Poultry-liver versions exist. Liver from a land animal still needs zabiha if …
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Source-dependent
Pastrami
Cured, smoked, spiced meat — usually beef navel or brisket, sometimes turkey. The spice crust is not the question. The slaughter of the animal is. Del…
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Source-dependent
Corned beef
Salt-cured beef. The meat is cattle, not pig — that is not enough. Non-zabiha slaughter, the brine (sometimes wine, E471, gelatin) and the deli slicer…
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Haram
Prosciutto
Dry-cured pork hind leg. The name is the cut of a pig. Pork is prohibited. Turkey “prosciutto” is a different product and should say turkey.
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Haram
Pancetta
Cured pork belly. The Italian name does not change the species. Pork is prohibited. Turkey bacon and beef bacon are different rows.
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Haram
Guanciale
Cured pork jowl, the traditional fat in carbonara. It is pig. Pork is prohibited. A turkey-jowl analogue is not what this word means.
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Haram
Capicola
Dry-cured pork neck / shoulder. Also sold as coppa or capocollo. The name is the pig cut. Pork is prohibited.
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Source-dependent
Turkey bacon
Cured, smoked turkey sliced to look like bacon. The bird is lawful if slaughtered as zabiha. Smoke flavour, glycerin, carmine in some “maple” rashes, …
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Source-dependent
Beef bacon
Cured beef navel or plate, sliced like bacon. Cattle is lawful if zabiha. The cure, the smoke and the deli slicer still have to survive the same check…
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Source-dependent
Bacon bits
Two products share the shaker. “Real bacon bits” are usually pork. Imitation bits are soy or wheat protein with smoke flavour. IFANCA lists bacon bits…
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Source-dependent
Chicken nuggets
Reformed chicken in a batter. The meat, the slaughter, the shared fryer with pork or alcohol batter, and the marinade (E471, natural flavour, chicken …
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Source-dependent
Deli turkey
Sliced turkey breast from a deli counter or a lunch-meat pack. The bird is lawful if slaughtered as zabiha. Brine, broth, smoke flavour, and a slicer …
A procedure for reading a pack - not a product certification and not a fatwa. See the methodology.