Let’s find out if Balsamic Vinegar is halal and if it is allowed to be consumed according to the Muslim religion.
Is balsamic vinegar halal? Certainly, being a condiment with a characteristic acid and sour taste, it is produced through fermentation with particular bacteria. This particular chemical/physical process eliminates any trace of alcoholic substance making the balsamic vinegar halal.
Let’s see in detail why the traditional balsamic vinegar DOP and Modena IGP is halal.
Vinegar has been used in the kitchen for thousands of years and its sour nature makes it great in cooking when you want to balance the flavors. It is excellent if used on salad but gives a particular flavor even if added to fruit and desserts.
It can be stored for a long time in a closed container and its chemical properties make it resistant to deterioration and bacterial growth. One of the most valuable types of vinegar is balsamic (DOP and IGP). Its quality of raw materials and excellent workmanship make it the first choice when it comes to choosing which vinegar to bring to your table.
There is no doubt that consuming wine and alcoholic beverages is haram.
Is it lawful (halal) to consume the vinegar that has been produced from wine with an autonomous process? If there is human intervention is it lawful?
Can vinegar processed in this way be consumed, placing wine under the sun? Is it also permissible to produce vinegar by adding a product?
Index:
what do the Muslim schools have to say about this?
There are many differing opinions about whether vinegar is halal or not.
According to the Sunni legal schools, if wine becomes vinegar without a voluntary intervention of man it is allowed to be consumed, drunk and used.
The Hanbalita school also agrees with this, which prohibits adding products to wine to turn it into vinegar. Even placing it under the sun to make the transformation happen naturally is forbidden.
The Shâfi’ita school allows consumption if the wine has become vinegar after being placed under the sun.
The view of the Mâlikita school states that it is forbidden to transform wine into vinegar, but once it’s done you are allowed to consume it.
Is Balsamic Vinegar halal? Is it permissible to consume it?
Balsamic Vinegar, also called “black gold, is one of the most valuable types of vinegar and is produced with vines from the provinces of Modena and Reggio Emilia.
A product can be considered halal or haram depending on the amount of alcohol contained in it. If the quantity contained is such as to make you tipsy it is considered haram. If the quantity of alcohol is small, it is halal.
Even if the wine from which it comes from contains alcohol, Balsamic Vinegar is halal because it has undergone a complete chemical/physical transformation and, therefore, does not cause inebriation.
We are also sure that, as far as traditional DOP Balsamic Vinegar is concerned, no other products have been added during processing (What is Balsamic Vinegar made of?). The only raw material allowed is in fact cooked grape must and any other addition is by a strict disciplinary set of rules.
Conclusion
Balsamic Vinegar, since it is no longer intoxicating, is considered halal. A Muslim is allowed to buy Balsamic Vinegar from a non-Muslim person who sells it. Balsamic vinegar that is imported from non-Muslim countries is halal for Muslims, even if it was produced with the intervention of man, because it was transformed into vinegar by the actions of a person who considered it acceptable and lawful.
