There are many different types of halal soup. These types include normal chicken and beef stock soups. It also includes a wide variety of vegetarian soups such as corn soup. Fish soups are also permissible. The only soups that cannot be made into a halal soup are those containing animal blood, pork products and alcohol.
For a soup to be considered halal, it needs to meet a number of halal requirements according to Islamic law. Apart from the removal of banned products, the meat has to be produced in line with regulations and the food has to be produced in the absence of contaminating products. Such soups can be made at home or bought from manufacturers. Often manufacturers who produce halal soups will state that the soup is halal or will have a stamp of approval.
A meat halal soup, such as beef soup, mutton soup and chicken soup, must contain meat that has been slaughtered according to dhabiha. This means the animal has been blessed in Allah’s name and then had its throat slit so that the blood drains completely out of the animal. When the soup is produced, it cannot contain any pork products.
Types of meat soup include the basic mutton, beef and chicken varieties. It also includes oxtail and other birds such as quail and pheasant if so desired. The soups can be combined with vegetables, curries and other ingredients such as sweet and sour sauces.
According to the Qur’an, all fish products are halal. This means all fish soups, such as clam chowder and whole fish soups can be considered halal. Fish gelatin can also be used, alongside vegetable gelatin, to replace pork gelatin if it is needed in a fish soup. The same goes for fish and vegetable oils. Halal fish soups include scallop soups.
Vegetable soups are halal so long as they do not contain pork or blood products. This means that soups such as corn soup, pepper soup and others are halal. Other examples of vegetable halal soup include broccoli cheese soup, onion soup, carrot soup and bean soups.
Some brands produce a range of halal soups. These are special ranges that do not replace non-halal soup, but complement them to give buyers choice. Campbell’s, for example, offers 15 types of halal soup in Canada. With growing populations, the ranges of halal soup and the number of companies offering them are likely to increase. Opposition on religious or animal welfare grounds is also likely to increase unless a compromise is found.