Both Judaism and Islam have prohibited eating pork and its products for thousands of years. Scholars have proposed several reasons for the ban to which both religions almost totally adhere.
Prohibition in Jewish law
The Torah (Pentateuch) contains passages in Leviticus that list the animals people are permitted to eat. According to Leviticus 11:3, animals like cows, sheep, and deer that have divided hooves and chew their cud may be consumed. Pigs should not be eaten because they don't chew their cud.
Kashrut—Jewish dietary laws
Certain foods, notably pork, shellfish and almost all insects are forbidden; meat and dairy may not be combined and meat must be ritually slaughtered and salted to remove all traces of blood. Observant Jews will eat only meat or poultry that is certified kosher.
In Leviticus 11:27, God forbids Moses and his followers to eat swine “because it parts the hoof but does not chew the cud.” Furthermore, the prohibition goes, “Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch; they are unclean to you.” That message is later reinforced in Deuteronomy.
Despite Judaism's prohibition on eating pork, pigs are raised, slaughtered and processed as food in Israel.
Followers of Judaism and Islam, respectively, must eat only kosher or halal food. Prohibitions on eating unclean food are written in the Torah and in the Koran: “He hath only forbidden you dead meat, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that on which any other name hath been invoked besides that of Allah.
According to Vered, Israelis tend to put bacon in a different category: “A lot of people in Israel eat bacon even though they declare themselves as people that don't eat pork.” Some Jews believe that the word “pig” in Hebrew contains in it a promise for a pork-filled future.
It is only in Leviticus 11:7 that eating pork is forbidden to God's people for the very first time—“… and the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.” This is where and when pork in all its forms (including ham, bacon, sausage, etc.)
The most popular meat was pork, especially sausages. Beef was uncommon in ancient Rome, yet more common in ancient Greece. Jesus was a Jew and Jews ate a variety of meats except for what they considered unclean animals (pork, snake, shellfish, etc.). Jesus was not an exception.
The only dietary restrictions specified for Christians in the New Testament are to "abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meat of strangled animals" (Acts 15:29), teachings that the early Church Fathers, such as Clement of Alexandria and Origen, preached for believers to follow.
The Torah forbids the cooking and consumption of any milk with any meat to prevent one from cooking a kid in its mother's milk. According to Kabbalah, meat represents gevurah (the Divine attribute of Judgment) and milk represents chesed (the Divine attribute of Kindness).
The mixture of milk with meat instills in it the undesirable characteristics of blood. If meat and milk together were not forbidden, then the Jews would be unknowingly transgressing the prohibition of consumption of blood and exposing themselves to the damaging effects of blood.
In order to make chocolate, the cocoa liquor (or butter or powder) is blended with sugar and lethicin. Starch can also be introduced into the mix, which can be an issue for Pesach since the starch is either chometz or kitniyos.
Jewish tradition permits controlled alcohol drinking, whereas Muslim tradition prohibits the use of any alcohol.
A 1986 report by the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards states that cremation is against Jewish tradition and should be advised so by the Rabbi. The report goes on to say that if your family ignores the Rabbi's advice, the Rabbi may still choose to officiate the service at a funeral parlor before the cremation.
And yet, Jewish barbecue makes total sense, especially because brisket, another pillar of American barbecue, has long been part of the Jewish food canon, at least in the Ashkenaz tradition. "There's Korean barbecue, there's Chinese barbecue, there's Mongolian barbecue, there's Pakistani barbecue," Mayer-Selinger said.
Here's why: meat was at one point considered an indulgence, so abstaining from meat on certain days is intended as a form of penance and a way for Christians to honor Jesus' sacrifice of his flesh on Good Friday. That means no meat from birds, cows, sheep, or pigs.
We know that ancient Israelites ate lamb and goat meat, but meat was probably more of a special treat for Jesus than a daily staple. Instead, he might have relied on legumes, like beans or lentils, and fish for protein.
But in the ancient Middle East, the writers of the Hebrew Bible forbade tattooing. Per Leviticus 19:28, “You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves.”
An obvious example is the system of sacrifices instituted under Mosaic law, and the corresponding distinctions between clean and unclean food - hence the prohibition of shellfish.
The rumen is like a large fermentation vat that contains bacteria that digests the cow's food and converts it into energy and protein. This softened food is called the “cud,” and it is sent back up to the cow's mouth, where it is re-chewed before going back down into the stomach to be fully digested.
Some Christians take issue with tattooing, upholding the Hebrew prohibition. The Hebrew prohibition is based on interpreting Leviticus 19:28—"Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you"—so as to prohibit tattoos. Interpretations of the passage vary, however.
Whether a Muslim or non-Muslim chooses to eat something is largely their discretion. The best supermarkets in Dubai, including Al Maya, Choithrams, Baqer Mohebi, and Philippine Supermarket, all stock pork. However, not all grocery stores carry pork. A valid business license is required to sell pork in Dubai.
Kashrut. While McDonald's operates several Kosher and non-Kosher restaurants, all the meat served in the restaurants is kosher beef. The difference is that the non-Kosher branches open on Shabbat and Jewish holidays, in addition to serving dairy products and cheeseburgers.
Saudi law prohibits the importation of weapons, alcohol, narcotics, pork and pork products, pornographic materials, distillery equipment, re-treaded or used tyres, used clothing and certain sculptures.