Chocolate is the most loved delicacy in the world.
It is made from cacao, and the tree on which cacao grows has a Latin name that translates to “food of the gods,” which speaks volumes about how magical this tasty delicacy is.
People have loved chocolate since the first time it was made, and some people understood its importance earlier than others.
For example, the Maya used cacao as a currency for trade and valued it more than gold.
One of the reasons so many people love chocolate might be that it’s actually a mild antidepressant.
Eating chocolate activates centers in our brain that make the body start to secrete hormones responsible for a better mood.
That’s the scientific explanation for why chocolate always makes us feel better when we’re down or in a bad mood.
Chocolate is also thought to act as an aphrodisiac, although there is no solid scientific evidence for this claim.
For hundreds of years, chocolate was consumed in liquid form as a drink.
The first chocolate as we know it today was made in the middle of the nineteenth century.
Since that moment, the popularity of this delicacy has been continuously growing.
Statistics say that the average person eats about 160 kilograms of chocolate during their lifetime.
Americans eat the most significant amount of chocolate produced in total.
Still, the Swiss are considered to be the biggest fans of this delicacy because each eats about 10 kilograms of chocolate annually.
It may sound absurd to you, but chocolate has been proven to help fight tooth decay.
Of course, this only applies to moderate chocolate consumption.
Although most people think chocolate harms teeth, primarily because of its sugar, some cocoa ingredients positively affect dental health.
Chocolate is the perfect cure for a broken heart and an excellent fuel for creative work that requires high concentration and focus.
If you’re one of those people who can’t imagine their day without a piece of chocolate, you might have wondered if some people can’t enjoy this sweet.
If you’ve been wondering what religious laws say about chocolate, read on.
Find out below whether chocolate is halal or haram in Islam and what the conditions define its halal status.
Find out what is required for chocolate to receive an official halal certificate, which ingredients must not be found in halal chocolate, and how to know if a particular chocolate is halal or haram.
Read also how the production process affects the halal status of chocolate and what aspects of this process can be considered problematic.
Is Chocolate Halal or Haram?
The shortest answer to this question will be that chocolate is halal if it does not contain prohibited or haram ingredients.
The good news is that most types of chocolate meet this requirement and are considered halal.
Chocolate is a product of plant origin and mainly contains chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, and sugar as the main ingredients.
Some chocolates contain milk, fruit, nuts, natural and artificial flavors, colors, and emulsifiers.
All ingredients found in most types of chocolate are halal, so most chocolates are permissible for Muslims and others who eat halal.
However, there are certain ingredients that some chocolates contain that are haram.
In the first place, there are alcoholic fillings.
Alcohol is haram under Islamic law, and Muslims are not allowed to drink it or eat products containing it.
Although some Islamic scholars consider alcohol to be haram only when it causes intoxication, the general rule is that any alcohol that can be smelled or tasted is haram.
Chocolates with alcoholic fillings are haram because they have a specific taste and smell.
Also, some chocolates contain artificial colors.
It is another issue on which there is some disagreement among different Islamic scholars.
In particular, some Islamic scholars consider the artificial color that appears on various labels under the names and codes of cochineal, carmine, natural red 4, C.I.75470, and E120 problematic.
It is the pigment that gives food its red color and is used to produce various foods, including some chocolate bars.
This pigment is obtained from a type of insect, and insects are considered haram according to Islamic law.
However, there are other ways to produce this pigment.
The same pigment can be made synthetically, but it can also be obtained from some plants.
The debate on this additive has been going on for years, and still, in the Islamic world, there is no definitive answer to whether carmine is halal or haram.
Some schools of thought argue that it is haram, while others define it as halal.
As a rule, believers are advised to follow the position of Islamic scholars whose interpretation of Islamic law they otherwise follow.
Another ingredient that some types of chocolate sometimes contain that is often not halal is gelatin.
Although chocolate typically does not contain gelatin, some chocolate candies have gelatin in their ingredient list.
Gelatin can be of vegetable or animal origin.
If the gelatin is of vegetable origin, it is halal.
On the other hand, if gelatin is of animal origin, it is often haram.
If the gelatin is of pig origin, it is considered haram, and if it is obtained from some other animal, it must be from a halal source to be considered halal.
Because of all this, chocolates containing gelatin are often haram.
What Ingredients Are Used to Make Chocolate?
The surest way to determine whether chocolate is halal or haram if it does not have a halal certificate, is to look at the ingredient list on its packaging.
One of the essential ingredients of most types of chocolate is chocolate liquor.
Do not mistake this ingredient for chocolate liqueur.
Unlike chocolate liqueur, which is an alcoholic drink and haram for Muslims, chocolate liquor is a halal ingredient.
Chocolate liquor, sometimes called cocoa liquor or cocoa mass, is a thick liquid obtained by processing cocoa beans.
The processing process that creates this ingredient includes fermentation, grinding, drying, and roasting the grains.
The ingredient responsible for that beautiful feeling of chocolate melting in your mouth is cocoa butter.
It is a natural fat found in cocoa beans and is also halal.
The chocolate then contains sugar which is also of plant origin and has halal status.
Most chocolates typically also contain lecithin, which helps the other ingredients mix better and become compact.
Lecithin is an emulsifier and is mainly made from soy, so it is also halal.
In addition, chocolate can contain several other ingredients, such as powdered milk, vegetable fats, flavors, salt, emulsifiers, candies, dried fruit, nuts, or others.
Haram ingredients in some chocolates include alcohol, gelatin, animal fats, and illegal additives.
It is important to note that these ingredients are not common in chocolates but only in some types.
Therefore, it is best always to buy halal-certified chocolates or check the ingredients listed on the product label.
Why Are Some Chocolates Considered Haram?
Although most chocolates are halal, some are considered haram.
The most common reason is the presence of alcohol, gelatin, animal fat, or illegal additives in them.
It is common knowledge that Muslims do not drink alcohol for religious reasons.
Islamic law prohibits alcohol, and Islamic scholars explain this prohibition by the harm alcohol causes to the human state of consciousness, social relations, and health.
Also, it is often pointed out that the consumption of alcohol is contrary to Islamic culture.
It is generally considered forbidden for Muslims to consume any food that contains enough alcohol to cause intoxication or to affect the smell, taste, and appearance of the food.
Also, some Islamic scholars interpret the prohibition of alcohol differently and consider that alcohol must not be present in food even in minimal quantities; that is, it is haram even when it is not seen or felt in food.
Although it is impossible to get drunk from chocolate containing alcohol, it definitely affects the taste and smell of the chocolate, giving it a specific aroma.
Therefore, these chocolates are prohibited for everyone who eats following halal principles.
Also, chocolates containing products of animal origin, such as animal fats and gelatin, are considered haram according to Islamic law.
First, these ingredients can be of pig origin, which is unclean in Islam.
In addition, even if they do not come from pigs but from other animals, it is generally challenging to determine whether these animals are halal or not.
Sometimes it is difficult to determine the origin of certain ingredients, so it is best to avoid all chocolates that contain ingredients that seem suspicious to you.
How Does the Method of Production Affect the Halal Status of Chocolate?
In Islamic law, the terms halal and haram define everything that is permitted and prohibited.
Halal is everything that Islamic law allows, and haram is everything that is prohibited and considered illegal.
These terms refer to food and many other things in everyday life.
The list of haram foods includes alcohol, prohibited animals such as pigs, carnivores, birds of prey, and some others, pork by-products, and blood.
Also, all halal food that comes into contact with forbidden foods is haram.
It means that, for example, in restaurants that serve halal food, it must be prepared entirely separately from haram food.
Hypothetically speaking, if any halal ingredient touches a haram component, it becomes haram, i.e., prohibited and impure.
That is why halal food is produced completely separately from haram food in factories with a halal certificate.
This further means that a manufacturer can only have a halal certificate if it is established that there is no haram food in the production facility that could cause the halal products to become haram through cross-contamination.
For a chocolate manufacturer to obtain a halal certificate, the machines used in production must not be cleaned with alcohol or any other haram substance.
Also, the packaging used for chocolate must not contain haram ingredients.
It means that, for example, it must not have glue that comes from an animal source.
It is almost impossible for customers to find all this information regarding how chocolate is produced, packaged, and transported.
Therefore, it is safest to rely on the organization granting halal certification and choosing certified halal products.
How Do You Know Which Chocolates Are Halal and Which Are Haram?
As already pointed out, relying on official halal certificates is safest.
All over the world, organizations responsible for evaluating halal standards control products and services and award them with official halal certificates if they meet the necessary conditions.
These organizations are highly rigid, so you can be absolutely sure that the chocolate complies with halal principles if it has an official halal certificate.
Of course, statistically speaking, finding halal-certified chocolates in Muslim countries will be much easier than in non-Muslim countries.
However, even in non-Muslim countries, you can find chocolates that have an official halal certificate.
It should also be noted that you have to be careful about buying chocolates from certain brands in different parts of the world.
It often happens that some brands of chocolate are halal in certain countries, while in others, they are not.
If you don’t have officially halal-certified chocolate available, the next best thing to do is read the ingredient list on the chocolate label.
If you ensure that all the ingredients are halal, the chocolate is also considered halal.
Among the ingredients that chocolate must not contain to be halal are alcohol, animal fat, gelatin, and additives of animal origin.
If any ingredient on the chocolate packaging is suspicious to you, it is best to refrain from buying and eating it.
You can also contact the manufacturer or distributor and ask about the halal status of the chocolate.
Summary
If you are a chocolate lover and practice a halal diet, you will be happy to know that most chocolates are halal.
As a rule, chocolate contains no haram ingredients, so it is permissible for Muslims.
However, sometimes, chocolate may contain haram ingredients such as alcohol or animal products.
In those cases, it should be avoided because it is considered haram.
Given that halal standards include not only the use of halal ingredients but also the observance of strict rules in the production process, it is not always easy to determine whether chocolate is halal or haram.
It’s why buying and eating chocolates with an official halal certification is safest.
However, these chocolates are not equally available in different parts of the world, and while they are ubiquitous in Muslim countries, they are often absent in Western countries.
Therefore, consumers looking for halal chocolate are advised to read ingredient lists carefully and contact the manufacturer if they have any doubts to determine if the products they want to buy are halal or haram.
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