Does cheese only made from cow and goat's milk?
By shaqziad
@shaqziad (655)
Malaysia
December 11, 2012 8:32am CST
As i was browsing in the market, i came to the cheese and milk product section. I saw a cheese that is said to be non-halal. I'm Muslim, so i have to be careful with this kind of things. So, can cheese be made from other animal's milk? Or is there some kind of cheese that is added with liquor, perhaps?
2 people like this
10 responses
@beamer88 (4259)
• Philippines
11 Dec 12
I'm not sure if milk from other animals can also be used to make cheese. But where I'm from, we have cottage cheese that's made with carabao's milk. (It's a type of water buffalo) Some of these cheese products sold in our markets our certified Halal.
1 person likes this
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
11 Dec 12
Cottage cheese and other soft curd cheeses are almost certain to be halal because they are not made with rennet.
The milk from any animal can be used to make cheese though the commonest are cow's milk (or buffalo milk), goat's milk and ewe's (sheep's) milk. Where these animals are common and are milked, cheese may also be made from mare's milk and camel's milk.
@beamer88 (4259)
• Philippines
11 Dec 12
Accordingly, not all cheeses that have animal rennet are considered haraam if the said animals were slaughtered according to Islamic Law. Also, although most cottage cheeses are indeed made without rennet, I think there are other factors to consider before this is considered halal. Like how it was prepared, who prepared it, and such.
@shaqziad (655)
• Malaysia
12 Dec 12
Oh, cheese can be made using buffalo's milk? Buffalo is a halal animal, so i think the cheese made from its milk will be halal. By the way, buffalo is called 'kerbau' in my native language.
If the rennet is collected according to proper halal way, the cheese is considered as halal? So everything did depend on the preparation method again.
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
11 Dec 12
Cheese may be - and often is - made from cow's milk, goat's milk, sheep's milk and horse (mare's) milk. In fact, it can be made from the milk of ANY mammal.
Whether a food is 'halal' or not depends on which animal it comes from and whether it has been treated in a prescribed way, according to Muslim law.
Cheese is made from curdled milk and there are various ways of doing this. One method (that used for most cheese in the West) is by using a substance found in the stomach of a calf called rennet. Cheese made in this way is usually forbidden to Muslims because rennet is technically a meat product and is obtained by killing the calf. Halal cheeses are made either by natural (bacterial) curdling or using an acid such as lemon juice. There are also cheeses made with a vegetable or artificial substitute for rennet which are suitable for vegetarians and are also halal.
http://halalguide.org/List_of_Non_Halal.html
http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=7&ID=432&CATE=29
@urbandekay (18278)
•
20 Dec 12
No, cheese cannot be made from the milk of any mammal, it cannot, for example, be made from human milk, since the fat content is too low
all the best, urban
@urbandekay (18278)
•
20 Dec 12
Oh thank you, I have been badly misinformed, I was told by a cheese maker that milk without sufficient fat content could not be used for cheese making and had no reason to doubt his knowledge on this.
all the best, urban
@dainy1313 (2370)
• Leon, Mexico
11 Dec 12
Hello shaqziad, here at my country it`s made a cheese from flour and water. It`s not as tasty as the milk cheese, but it is used by people that gets sick with milk.
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
11 Dec 12
I think that the 'flour' you are referring to is probably a bean flour (soya and several other kinds of pea and bean may be used). The flour is soaked in water and then fermented or curdled in a similar way to animal milk to make a cheese. In Japan, such a product is called 'tofu'.
Depending on the method used for its production, such a product is very likely to be halal.
1 person likes this
@dainy1313 (2370)
• Leon, Mexico
18 Dec 12
Hello
owlwings, what lovely name and avatar! I know tofu, it`s sold here at Mexico in some delicatessen or in nature health stores. It`s tasty, yummie!
Hi shaqziad the kind of cheese I`m talking about it is called "flour cheese" at my country. And I really don´t like it, it taste like artificial chewing gum. Scly I don´t like it
.
At Peru some cheeses are made from llama milk, I read it at wikipedia.
Blessings owlwings, blessings shaqziad... dainy
owlwings, what lovely name and avatar! I know tofu, it`s sold here at Mexico in some delicatessen or in nature health stores. It`s tasty, yummie!
Hi shaqziad the kind of cheese I`m talking about it is called "flour cheese" at my country. And I really don´t like it, it taste like artificial chewing gum. Scly I don´t like it.
At Peru some cheeses are made from llama milk, I read it at wikipedia.
Blessings owlwings, blessings shaqziad... dainy 
@marguicha (222389)
• Chile
19 Jan 13
There are many kinds of cheese. I tasted a pasticular cheese, very good, in Spain, made from sheep. I loved it, but in my country it is very expensive. I have never heard of liquor added to cheese, but I have seen many add ons to cheese.
@shaqziad (655)
• Malaysia
23 Jan 13
Yup, you are right.They come in various flavor, texture and taste. As of the adds on, that is exactly the thing that pique my curiosity. I'm hoping to learn more of it. Cheese is so good, it is a pity if there are good cheese but i can't try it because of its adds on.
@heaytheblogger (2876)
• Philippines
27 Dec 12
Although majority of milk production is made from Cows or Goats, there are other milk manufacturers that produce milk from other alternatives. Some, organic healthy beverage makers have made milk production from natural plants like Soy Milk and other organic and natural plant producing milk alternatives.
But i think so far, cheese are made from animal milk. Never knew if it can be made from soy milk or other plant-based milk. I'll search more on it. Thanks for informing me!
@misjoseph (162)
•
5 Jan 13
i have never thought about that and i have never research about it as well but to my knowledge is think so it is made from cow and goat's milk...
@urbandekay (18278)
•
20 Dec 12
Look for vegetarian or vegan cheeses in the shop, these are made without rennet and will be halal. Here in Britain we make over 2000 varieties of cheese, including the most popular cheese in the world, Cheddar and the excellent Stilton
all the best, urban
@Mavic123456 (21893)
• Thailand
11 Dec 12
Yes, unfortunately since cheese is made of milk. I hope I am wrong
