Food Cooked In Wine
In Islam, the ruling on alcohol in food is not based on whether the final dish can intoxicate a person, but on whether alcohol itself was intentionally used as an ingredient. Even though it is often said that most of the alcohol evaporates during cooking, it does not fully disappear, and more importantly, Islamic law does not hinge permissibility on evaporation or physical effect. The Prophet ﷺ laid down a clear principle that whatever intoxicates in large amounts is forbidden even in small amounts, which is why Islam draws the line at deliberate use rather than outcome. The logic behind this is that Islam aims to close the door to alcohol consumption entirely, avoid normalizing it as an everyday “cooking ingredient,” and prevent gradual desensitization to it. If the rule were simply, “it’s fine as long as you don’t get drunk,” alcohol would slowly re-enter daily life under new labels and justifications. Islam blocks that pathway at the ingredient level, not the intoxication level. This is why a dish in which wine or alcohol was deliberately added remains impermissible, even if it no longer intoxicates. It’s important to understand that this stance is not about getting drunk, nor is it a health rule; it’s a clear religious boundary. By contrast, foods where tiny amounts of alcohol form naturally, such as vinegar or bread, are halal because alcohol was not added intentionally. In social situations with non-Muslim friends, if you know alcohol was used, it’s best to politely avoid the dish, and if you genuinely did not know, there is no sin on you.
If the alcohol used in it’s non active form for food would it’s use be permissible too?