Food and Fasting Rules Compared

Almost every religion has something to say about the table: what may be eaten, how an animal is killed, and when to go without food altogether. This page sets the main traditional rules of eleven traditions side by side. It shows the broad lines of each tradition, not the practice of every believer, which varies between schools, regions, families and individuals.

Generally allowed
Forbidden
Avoided by many or by some groups
Allowed with conditions

	Judaism	Islam	Hinduism	Jainism	Buddhism	Sikhism	Orthodox Christianity	Catholic Christianity	Bahá’í Faith	Zoroastrianism	Daoism
Pork	Forbidden: The pig does not chew the cud, so it is not kosher.The pig does not chew the cud, so it is not kosher.	Forbidden: Forbidden explicitly in the Qur’an.Forbidden explicitly in the Qur’an.	Avoided by many or by some groups: Avoided by many; eaten in some regions and communities.Avoided by many; eaten in some regions and communities.	Forbidden: All meat is forbidden.All meat is forbidden.	Avoided by many or by some groups: Eaten by many laypeople; avoided by vegetarian monastics and devotees.Eaten by many laypeople; avoided by vegetarian monastics and devotees.	Avoided by many or by some groups: No scriptural ban; vegetarian Sikhs and many others avoid it.No scriptural ban; vegetarian Sikhs and many others avoid it.	Generally allowed: Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox churches traditionally avoid pork.Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox churches traditionally avoid pork.	Generally allowed: Not eaten on days of abstinence.Not eaten on days of abstinence.	Generally allowed	Generally allowed: No traditional ban, though personal and regional customs vary.No traditional ban, though personal and regional customs vary.	Avoided by many or by some groups: Avoided by Quanzhen monastics and during ritual purification.Avoided by Quanzhen monastics and during ritual purification.
Beef	Allowed with conditions: Kosher slaughter, removal of blood and certain fats and sinews.Kosher slaughter, removal of blood and certain fats and sinews.	Allowed with conditions: Permitted if slaughtered according to Islamic law.Permitted if slaughtered according to Islamic law.	Forbidden: Widely avoided out of reverence for the cow; some communities eat it.Widely avoided out of reverence for the cow; some communities eat it.	Forbidden: All meat is forbidden.All meat is forbidden.	Avoided by many or by some groups: Many Buddhists in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and East Asia avoid beef.Many Buddhists in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and East Asia avoid beef.	Avoided by many or by some groups: Widely avoided by Sikhs, partly in keeping with Punjabi custom.Widely avoided by Sikhs, partly in keeping with Punjabi custom.	Generally allowed: Not eaten on fast days.Not eaten on fast days.	Generally allowed: Not eaten on days of abstinence.Not eaten on days of abstinence.	Generally allowed	Avoided by many or by some groups: Traditionally avoided by many Parsis in India.Traditionally avoided by many Parsis in India.	Avoided by many or by some groups: Some Daoist traditions avoid beef, honouring the ox as a working animal.Some Daoist traditions avoid beef, honouring the ox as a working animal.
Lamb, goat, poultry	Allowed with conditions: Sheep, goats and traditional poultry, if properly slaughtered and prepared.Sheep, goats and traditional poultry, if properly slaughtered and prepared.	Allowed with conditions: Permitted if slaughtered according to Islamic law.Permitted if slaughtered according to Islamic law.	Avoided by many or by some groups: Many Hindus are vegetarian; others eat goat, mutton or chicken.Many Hindus are vegetarian; others eat goat, mutton or chicken.	Forbidden: All meat is forbidden.All meat is forbidden.	Avoided by many or by some groups: Theravada monks may accept it; Chinese Mahayana monastics abstain.Theravada monks may accept it; Chinese Mahayana monastics abstain.	Avoided by many or by some groups: Debated; many eat jhatka goat or chicken, many are vegetarian.Debated; many eat jhatka goat or chicken, many are vegetarian.	Generally allowed: Not eaten on fast days.Not eaten on fast days.	Generally allowed: Not eaten on days of abstinence.Not eaten on days of abstinence.	Generally allowed	Generally allowed: Many abstain on days sacred to Bahman.Many abstain on days sacred to Bahman.	Avoided by many or by some groups: Avoided by Quanzhen monastics and during ritual purification.Avoided by Quanzhen monastics and during ritual purification.
Fish	Allowed with conditions: Only species with both fins and scales.Only species with both fins and scales.	Generally allowed: Fish need no ritual slaughter.Fish need no ritual slaughter.	Avoided by many or by some groups: A staple in Bengal, Goa and coastal regions; avoided by vegetarians.A staple in Bengal, Goa and coastal regions; avoided by vegetarians.	Forbidden: All animal flesh is forbidden.All animal flesh is forbidden.	Avoided by many or by some groups: Commonly eaten by laypeople; avoided by vegetarian monastics.Commonly eaten by laypeople; avoided by vegetarian monastics.	Avoided by many or by some groups: Eaten by some; avoided by vegetarian Sikhs.Eaten by some; avoided by vegetarian Sikhs.	Generally allowed: Avoided on most fast days; allowed on certain feasts.Avoided on most fast days; allowed on certain feasts.	Generally allowed: The traditional food of Fridays and days of abstinence.The traditional food of Fridays and days of abstinence.	Generally allowed	Generally allowed	Avoided by many or by some groups: Avoided by Quanzhen monastics and during ritual purification.Avoided by Quanzhen monastics and during ritual purification.
Shellfish	Forbidden: Sea creatures without fins and scales are forbidden.Sea creatures without fins and scales are forbidden.	Avoided by many or by some groups: Allowed by most schools; Hanafis traditionally restrict seafood to fish, prawns debated.Allowed by most schools; Hanafis traditionally restrict seafood to fish, prawns debated.	Avoided by many or by some groups: Eaten in coastal regions; avoided by vegetarians.Eaten in coastal regions; avoided by vegetarians.	Forbidden: All animal flesh is forbidden.All animal flesh is forbidden.	Avoided by many or by some groups: Commonly eaten by laypeople; avoided by vegetarian monastics.Commonly eaten by laypeople; avoided by vegetarian monastics.	Avoided by many or by some groups: Eaten by some; avoided by vegetarian Sikhs.Eaten by some; avoided by vegetarian Sikhs.	Generally allowed: Traditionally permitted even on strict fast days.Traditionally permitted even on strict fast days.	Generally allowed: Allowed, including on days of abstinence.Allowed, including on days of abstinence.	Generally allowed	Generally allowed	Avoided by many or by some groups: Avoided by Quanzhen monastics and during ritual purification.Avoided by Quanzhen monastics and during ritual purification.
Meat with dairy	Forbidden: Never cooked or eaten together; many wait hours between them.Never cooked or eaten together; many wait hours between them.	Generally allowed	Generally allowed: No general rule against combining them.No general rule against combining them.	Forbidden: Meat is excluded entirely; most Jains do consume dairy.Meat is excluded entirely; most Jains do consume dairy.	Generally allowed: No rule against combining them.No rule against combining them.	Generally allowed: No rule against combining them.No rule against combining them.	Generally allowed	Generally allowed	Generally allowed	Generally allowed	Generally allowed: No rule against combining them.No rule against combining them.
Alcohol	Allowed with conditions: Allowed; wine and grape juice must be made under Jewish supervision.Allowed; wine and grape juice must be made under Jewish supervision.	Forbidden: All intoxicants are forbidden in mainstream Sunni and Shi‘i law.All intoxicants are forbidden in mainstream Sunni and Shi‘i law.	Avoided by many or by some groups: Discouraged in many texts and avoided by many devout Hindus.Discouraged in many texts and avoided by many devout Hindus.	Forbidden: Forbidden, as fermentation involves countless micro-organisms.Forbidden, as fermentation involves countless micro-organisms.	Forbidden: The fifth precept rejects intoxicants; lay observance varies.The fifth precept rejects intoxicants; lay observance varies.	Forbidden: Intoxicants, including tobacco, are forbidden in the code of conduct.Intoxicants, including tobacco, are forbidden in the code of conduct.	Generally allowed: In moderation; wine is avoided on many fast days.In moderation; wine is avoided on many fast days.	Generally allowed: Allowed in moderation; wine is used at Mass.Allowed in moderation; wine is used at Mass.	Forbidden: Forbidden, as are non-medical drugs.Forbidden, as are non-medical drugs.	Generally allowed: Allowed; moderation is valued.Allowed; moderation is valued.	Avoided by many or by some groups: Forbidden to Quanzhen monastics; lay use varies.Forbidden to Quanzhen monastics; lay use varies.
Eggs	Allowed with conditions: From kosher birds only; eggs with blood spots are traditionally discarded.From kosher birds only; eggs with blood spots are traditionally discarded.	Generally allowed	Avoided by many or by some groups: Many vegetarians avoid eggs; dairy is widely accepted.Many vegetarians avoid eggs; dairy is widely accepted.	Forbidden: Eggs are regarded as animal life.Eggs are regarded as animal life.	Avoided by many or by some groups: Avoided by many East Asian monastics and strict vegetarians.Avoided by many East Asian monastics and strict vegetarians.	Avoided by many or by some groups: Not served in langar; avoided by many vegetarian Sikhs.Not served in langar; avoided by many vegetarian Sikhs.	Generally allowed: Not eaten on fast days.Not eaten on fast days.	Generally allowed: Once given up in Lent; now generally allowed.Once given up in Lent; now generally allowed.	Generally allowed	Generally allowed: Eggs also feature in some ritual offerings.Eggs also feature in some ritual offerings.	Avoided by many or by some groups: Avoided by many monastics and strict vegetarians.Avoided by many monastics and strict vegetarians.
Onion and garlic	Generally allowed	Generally allowed: Allowed; hadith discourage eating them raw before going to the mosque.Allowed; hadith discourage eating them raw before going to the mosque.	Avoided by many or by some groups: Avoided by many Vaishnavas, Brahmins and others following a sattvic diet.Avoided by many Vaishnavas, Brahmins and others following a sattvic diet.	Forbidden: Onion, garlic, potatoes and other root vegetables are avoided.Onion, garlic, potatoes and other root vegetables are avoided.	Avoided by many or by some groups: The ‘five pungent vegetables’ are avoided by East Asian monastics.The ‘five pungent vegetables’ are avoided by East Asian monastics.	Generally allowed	Generally allowed	Generally allowed	Generally allowed	Generally allowed	Avoided by many or by some groups: Pungent vegetables are avoided by monastics and before rituals.Pungent vegetables are avoided by monastics and before rituals.
Ritually slaughtered meat	Allowed with conditions: Shechita by a trained slaughterer is required for meat and poultry.Shechita by a trained slaughterer is required for meat and poultry.	Allowed with conditions: Dhabihah required; scholars differ on meat slaughtered by Jews or Christians.Dhabihah required; scholars differ on meat slaughtered by Jews or Christians.	Generally allowed: No general requirement; some prefer jhatka (single-stroke) meat.No general requirement; some prefer jhatka (single-stroke) meat.	Forbidden: Not applicable: no meat of any kind is eaten.Not applicable: no meat of any kind is eaten.	Generally allowed: No ritual slaughter; monastics refuse meat killed specially for them.No ritual slaughter; monastics refuse meat killed specially for them.	Forbidden: Ritually slaughtered (kutha) meat is forbidden; jhatka is preferred.Ritually slaughtered (kutha) meat is forbidden; jhatka is preferred.	Generally allowed: No ritual slaughter is required.No ritual slaughter is required.	Generally allowed: No ritual slaughter is required.No ritual slaughter is required.	Generally allowed: No ritual slaughter is required.No ritual slaughter is required.	Generally allowed: No binding requirement; some traditionally say prayers when killing animals.No binding requirement; some traditionally say prayers when killing animals.	Generally allowed: No ritual slaughter is required.No ritual slaughter is required.

Scroll the table sideways to see every tradition; point at a mark to read the note.

Judaism (kashrut)

The laws of kashrut, drawn from Leviticus 11, Deuteronomy 14 and rabbinic interpretation, define which animals may be eaten, how they must be slaughtered and prepared, and which foods may not be combined. Many observant Jews keep separate dishes for meat and dairy and buy food certified as kosher. Observance ranges from strict to selective to none, and differs between Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and secular Jews.

Main fasts

Yom Kippur autumn, about 25 hoursThe Day of Atonement is a full fast from food and drink, from sunset to nightfall the next day.
Tisha B’Av summer, about 25 hoursA full fast mourning the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem.
Minor fasts several days a year, dawn to duskFasts such as the Fast of Gedaliah and the Fast of Esther run from dawn to nightfall.
Passover spring, seven or eight daysNot a fast, but leavened grain products (chametz) are avoided for the whole festival.

Islam (halal)

Islamic law divides foods into the permitted (halal) and the forbidden (haram), on the basis of the Qur’an and hadith. Pork, blood, carrion, animals dedicated to other than God and intoxicants are forbidden, and meat should come from an animal slaughtered in the prescribed way. The legal schools differ on some details, especially seafood, and individual observance varies.

Main fasts

Ramadan ninth lunar month, 29–30 daysAdult Muslims abstain from food, drink and sexual relations from dawn to sunset, with exemptions for the ill, travellers and others.
Day of Arafah 9 Dhu al-Hijjah, one dayA recommended voluntary fast for those not performing the pilgrimage.
Ashura 10 Muharram, one dayMany Sunni Muslims fast voluntarily; Shi‘i Muslims mark the day chiefly as mourning for Husayn.
Voluntary fasts through the yearMany fast on Mondays and Thursdays or six days of the month after Ramadan.

Hinduism

Hinduism has no single binding food code, but ideas of non-harm (ahimsa), purity and the reverence for the cow shape what many Hindus eat. Many, especially among Brahmin and Vaishnava communities, are vegetarian, while others eat fish, poultry or goat. Customs vary greatly by region, caste, sect and family, and some devotees also avoid onion and garlic as foods that stimulate the passions.

Main fasts

Ekadashi eleventh lunar day, twice a monthMany Vaishnavas fast fully or avoid grains and pulses on this day.
Navaratri autumn (and spring), nine nightsMany devotees of the Goddess fast or eat only certain permitted foods.
Maha Shivaratri late winter, one day and nightDevotees of Shiva often fast and keep a night-long vigil.
Karva Chauth autumn, one dayIn northern India many married women fast from sunrise to moonrise for their husbands’ well-being.

Jainism

Jain diet follows from ahimsa, the vow to harm as few living beings as possible. Observant Jains are strictly vegetarian and also avoid eggs, honey, alcohol and root vegetables, whose harvesting kills the whole plant and many small organisms in the soil. Many also avoid eating after sunset; monks and nuns keep the strictest rules, and lay practice varies in strictness.

Main fasts

Paryushana / Das Lakshana late summer, 8 or 10 daysThe most important festival, when many Jains fast fully or partly; Svetambaras keep eight days, Digambaras ten.
Ayambil Oli twice a year, nine daysMany Svetambara Jains eat a single meal a day of plain, unspiced food.
Upavasa any timeFasts range from skipping one meal to going without food, and sometimes water, for days.

Buddhism

Buddhism has no universal food laws, and practice differs sharply between schools and between monastics and laypeople. In the Theravada tradition monks eat what they are given, including meat, unless they suspect the animal was killed for them, and do not eat solid food after midday. Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese Mahayana monastics are traditionally vegetarian and avoid pungent vegetables, while meat eating is common in Tibet and among many lay Buddhists.

Main fasts

No food after midday daily, for monasticsMonks and nuns in Theravada and many other traditions take no solid food from noon until the next dawn.
Uposatha days new and full moon (and quarter moons)Devout laypeople may take eight precepts, including not eating after midday.
Vegetarian days 1st and 15th of the lunar monthMany Chinese and Vietnamese lay Buddhists eat vegetarian food on these days.

Sikhism

The Sikh code of conduct (Sikh Rehat Maryada) forbids alcohol, tobacco and other intoxicants, and forbids initiated Sikhs to eat kutha meat, understood as meat slaughtered by a ritual method such as halal. Whether Sikhs should eat meat at all is debated: many are vegetarian, others eat jhatka meat. The food served in the gurdwara’s free community kitchen (langar) is always vegetarian, so that anyone can eat it. The Gurus taught that fasting earns no spiritual merit, so Sikhism has no prescribed fasts.

Orthodox Christianity

Eastern Orthodox Christianity has no permanent food bans, but its calendar sets aside a large part of the year, often reckoned at about half, for fasting. On a strict fast day meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine and olive oil are traditionally avoided, while shellfish and other invertebrates are permitted. Most Wednesdays and Fridays are fast days, and in practice believers often follow the guidance of their priest, with relaxations for health and age.

Main fasts

Great Lent and Holy Week spring, about seven weeksThe strictest fasting season, leading up to Easter (Pascha).
Nativity Fast 15 November–24 DecemberA forty-day fast before Christmas, with fish allowed on many days.
Apostles’ Fast early summer, variable lengthRuns from the week after Pentecost to the feast of Saints Peter and Paul on 29 June.
Dormition Fast 1–14 AugustA two-week fast before the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God.

Catholic Christianity

The Catholic Church has no permanent food bans; its rules concern days of fasting and of abstinence from meat. Under current canon law Catholics fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and abstain from meat on those days and on the Fridays of Lent, while bishops’ conferences may allow other penances on Fridays during the rest of the year. Older and stricter Lenten customs, such as giving up eggs and dairy, have largely lapsed, and Eastern Catholic churches keep their own calendars.

Main fasts

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday start and end of LentCatholics aged 18 to 59 eat one full meal and two smaller ones, and those from 14 abstain from meat.
Lent about six weeks before EasterA season of penance in which Fridays are days of abstinence from meat and many give up a chosen food.
Fridays weekly, through the yearTraditionally meatless; many bishops’ conferences now allow another act of penance instead.
Eucharistic fast before CommunionCatholics abstain from food and drink, except water and medicine, for one hour before receiving Communion.

Bahá’í Faith

The Bahá’í Faith has few food laws: the drinking of alcohol and the non-medical use of drugs are forbidden, and otherwise believers are free to choose their diet. Some Bahá’í writings speak of a simpler, vegetarian diet as an ideal of the future, but it is not required. The main observance is the annual Nineteen-Day Fast.

Main fasts

The Fast month of ‘Alá’, early March, 19 daysBahá’ís aged 15 to 70 abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset, with exemptions for illness, travel, pregnancy and heavy work.

Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism has no strict dietary code today, and its tradition values a healthy, well-fed body as part of the good creation, so fasting has generally been discouraged. Customs nonetheless exist: many Zoroastrians abstain from meat on days, and sometimes the whole month, dedicated to Vohu Manah (Bahman), guardian of animals. Among the Parsis of India many have traditionally avoided beef, a custom linked to their long life among Hindus.

Main fasts

Month of Bahman eleventh month; dates differ between calendarsNot a fast, but many Zoroastrians abstain from meat in honour of Vohu Manah.

Daoism

Daoist food practice depends on the order and the occasion. Monastics of the Quanzhen order are celibate, vegetarian and avoid alcohol and pungent vegetables, while priests of the Zhengyi order may marry and eat meat, abstaining before rituals. Zhai, a term for purification and ritual fasting, also gives its name to communal liturgies; some Daoists also practise bigu, ‘avoiding grains’, an old discipline of the body.

Main fasts

Zhai purification before major ritualsPriests and participants abstain from meat, alcohol and pungent foods to purify themselves.
Vegetarian days 1st and 15th of the lunar monthMany lay Daoists and temple-goers eat vegetarian food on these days.
Bigu individual practiceAn ancient discipline of avoiding grains, linked to ideas of longevity and refining the body.

Good to know

The table shows traditional norms, not the practice of every believer; observance varies widely between schools, countries, families and individuals.
Religious fasting rules usually exempt children, the elderly, the sick, pregnant or nursing women and travellers, and health comes first.
Many traditions add rules for specific days, places or roles, such as clergy, monastics or those preparing for a ritual.
Where a food is forbidden, many believers also avoid products made from it, such as gelatine, lard or animal rennet.
Food rules often serve as markers of identity and community as much as of belief, and they have changed over time.

Sources and further reading

Paul Fieldhouse, Food, Feasts, and Faith: An Encyclopedia of Food Culture in World Religions (ABC-CLIO, 2017)
Mary Douglas, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo (Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1966)
Kerry S. Walters and Lisa Portmess (eds), Religious Vegetarianism: From Hesiod to the Dalai Lama (State University of New York Press, 2001)
David C. Kraemer, Jewish Eating and Identity Through the Ages (Routledge, 2007)
Mian N. Riaz and Muhammad M. Chaudry, Halal Food Production (CRC Press, 2004)
John Kieschnick, The Impact of Buddhism on Chinese Material Culture (Princeton University Press, 2003)

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