Wednesday 11 January 2017
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Halal Food in China



Halal food has a long history in China. The arrival of Arabian and Persian merchants during the Tang and Song dynasty seen the introduction of the Muslim diet. Chinese Muslim cuisine adheres strictly to the Islamic dietary rules with mutton and lamb being the predominant ingredient. The advantage of Muslim cuisine in China is that it has inherited the diverse cooking methods of Chinese cuisine for example, braising, roasting, steaming, stewing and many more. Due to China's multicultural background Muslim cuisine retains its own style and characteristics according to regions. In Beijing there is the well renowned Donglaishun hot pot, Yueshengzhai's spiced beef and mutton is also a must try along with famous snacks such as Tasimi. Lanzhou's Beef Lamian (hand pulled noodles), Xinjiang's lamb kebab and Xi'an's Yangroupaomo are just some of the representative Muslim dishes in China.
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Islam History in China


Islam is one of the officially recognized religions in China. It has a long history in this ancient nation. Chinese Muslims have been in China for the last 1,400 years of continuous interaction with Chinese society.
Origin
It is believed that Islam was first brought to China in 616-18 AD by Sa'd ibn abi Waqqas who is the maternal uncle of the prophet himself, Sayid, Wahab ibn Abu Kabcha and another Sahaba.
Then in 637 Sa`ad ibn Abi Waqqa and three Sahabas, namely Suhayla Abuarja, Uwais al-Qarni, and Hassan ibn Thabit, came to China from Persia for the second time and returned by the Yunan-Manipur-Chittagong route, then reached Arabia by sea.
Some date the introduction of Islam in China to 650 AD which is the instance of third sojourn of Sad ibn abi Waqqas to China, Sa`ad ibn Abi Waqqas, was sent as an official envoy to Emperor Gaozong which was his third sojourn during Caliph Uthman's era in 651 AD.
The third sojourn happened in 651 AD, which is remarked as the introduction of Islam by some people. Uthman, the third Caliph, sent Sa`ad ibn Abi Waqqas as an official envoy to Emperor Gaozong. The Tang emperor received the embassy warmly and then ordered the construction of the oldest mosque in the country, Huaisheng (in memory of Prophet Muhammad) Mosque in Guangzhou.
（Excerpt from: muslim2china.com）