What is Haram?

The opposite of halal is haram (forbidden).
Food can be forbidden in Islam if it includes:

• blood
• alcohol
• meat or any products from a forbidden animal, including pigs and any carnivorous animals or birds of prey
• meat or any products of an animal which has not been slaughtered in the correct manner in the name of Allah

Under Islamic law (sharia) it is permissible (halal) to consume items that would otherwise be termed haram so long as it is a matter of survival and not just an act of diobedience.