Story Behind Halal Meat In Bali

DENPASAR, Bali, March 10 (Antara) - Some people, especially Muslim tourists, may be wondering whether meat-based foods sold in Bali are halal or not. Such question is reasonable considering 85 percent of people living in the 'Land of Gods' are Balinese Hindu who prefer to consume pork and chicken, to beef. In Hinduism, the cow is thought to be sacred or deeply respected for its agricultural uses and gentle nature. However, the demand for halal meat does not only come from the tourists but also from the Muslims who live in Bali and people who work in halal culinary business. Ziad Mzannar, a Lebanese chef in a Middle East restaurant in Legian, said that he needed to make sure that the supplier for beef in his restaurant has an official certificate of halal from the provincial Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) of Bali. In addition of ensuring the quality and freshness of the meat, he also has a strict rule that his suppliers must be Muslims. "It is important to make sure that all ingredients I use, including meat, are halal because that is the core of Lebanese cuisines," he noted. To specifically trace the story behind halal meat in Bali, Antara visited Pesanggaran slaughterhouse in Denpasar and had a talk with its head, Gede Nyoman Wiratanaya. According to him, the biggest slaughterhouse in Bali has already met the requirements to help fulfill the need of halal beef in the island. Although the slaughterhouse provides a service of pigs slaughter process as well, it has been carried out in different area, separated by a three-meter wall. "The management and butchers are also different. Butchers who are assigned to handle cows slaughter process must not have any business in the pigs area, and vice versa. It is important to maintain the halal of the cow meat," Wiratanaya said. The employed 13 butchers, including a Muslim slaughterer, can slaughter approximately 120 cows per night. The cows must firstly be examined by a veterinarian to ensure their health because one of the Islamic rules says that animals which will be slaughtered are in a good condition and not experiencing any torture. Although the slaughtering process is still manual, yet it has been supported by a hydraulic machine to help positioning the cows which will be slaughtered. The Muslim trained butcher, who must be certified by the ulema council, has the most important job to pronounce bismillah or Arabic term for "in the name of God" as a prayer before slaughtering the cows using a very sharp knife. Hikmanudin, the Muslim butcher who works at the Denpasar slaughterhouse, gained his certificate in 2015 after attending a three-week training program conducted by MUI, Ministry of Agriculture, and Ministry of Religion. During the training, he has been asked by various tests ranging from the description of halal meat, requirements for slaughtering animal based on Islamic rules, to the cutting techniques. "I have been butchering since 1989, to make sure that my fellow Muslims are consuming halal beef is part of my job," Hikmanudin said. Having high standards to handle halal beef processing, Bali provincial government also has a strict rule about preserving Balinese cattle race. Such genetic purification has been done to preserve Balinese cow breeds as well as support the local cattle business. "You may find imported beef here, but there is no imported cows because we are strongly against it," Wiratanaya noted. Balinese beef is famously known for its better taste and texture, compared to beef coming from other provinces or regions, although it is a bit pricey. A systematic process of cattle slaughtering that has been carried out based on Islamic rules should be a positive news to answer some people's anxiety regarding the meat they consume during their stay in Bali. Serious concern and strong commitment have been shown by Bali provincial government to provide halal meat for the Muslims must no longer be an issue. Since 2016, the concept of halal tourism has been developed by the Ministry of Tourism by designating 10 provinces as halal tourist destinations region, including several in Java, two in Sumatra, and one in West Nusa Tenggara. Although Bali is not included among those prospective destinations for halal tourism, the island located 3.2 km east of Java is actually having all complete aspects to serve Muslim tourists who mostly come from Middle East countries. The head of Indonesia's halal tourism acceleration and development team, Riyanto Sofyan, said that currently there were eight hotels in Bali granted by halal certificates from the MUI, including the Rhadana Hotel which was awarded as the world's best family friendly hotel in the World Halal Tourism Award 2016. "Some restaurants are also certified as halal places to eat. We hope it will encourage more restaurant and hotel managements to start promoting halal concept in their business in Bali," he stated.