Question:
Salaam,
Many recipes involve adding wine as an ingredient. Is is permissible to cook or eat foods cooked with wine? It is my understanding that most, if not all the alcohol evaporates leaving only the taste only trace amounts of alcohol in the finished product.
Thank you.
Answer:
wa `alaykum salam,
Alaykum Salam,
Wine is a liquid and as an alcohol prepared for consumption it is considered najis (filthy). This liquid najasa contaminates everything it touches so that after it has evaporated its najasa remains. The najasa itself does not evaporate because it was effected in liquid form. Furthermore:
(i) the presence of sauce shows that it does not all evaporate as claimed, and
(ii) even if wine did evaporate the remaining liquid has the same najis status because they were intermixed before evaporation;
(ii) even if wine did evaporate the remaining liquid has the same najis status because they were intermixed before evaporation;
And finally
(iii) anyone who has tasted veal blanquet or boeuf bourgignon can tell that the taste of food cooked with wine proves that the trace of wine is certainly still present even if it has supposedly all evaporated. Cook the same thing without wine and it will taste different, so the wine is definitely there even after supposed evaporation.
(iii) anyone who has tasted veal blanquet or boeuf bourgignon can tell that the taste of food cooked with wine proves that the trace of wine is certainly still present even if it has supposedly all evaporated. Cook the same thing without wine and it will taste different, so the wine is definitely there even after supposed evaporation.
Furthermore, even to serve wine for others, or to carry it, or store it, or use it in any form incurs a curse and it is one of the kaba’ir so the real science is to be a cautious Muslim and just stay away, period. Leave others to do the wine part and they will respect you for adhering to your beliefs. As for yourself use vinegar or any non-wine sauce. There are plenty in the saucier repertory.
Hajj Gibril Haddad
