Halal food
Many people commonly refer to Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine as 'Halal food,' but this is somewhat inappropriate; part of the problem comes from using 'halal' as a name.
Street food carts in New York City have been predominantly Halal in recent decades (a study from Queens College shows this trend began in 1990), and many of them include the word 'halal' in their business names. Halal is most evident in this group, with bright yellow awnings and shirts boldly including the word 'Halal.' These dishes mainly consist of rice, marinated meat skewers, salad and a thick white sauce. It became the starting point for trying Halal food.
But other cuisines are also classified as Halal food. Chekima noted that a Halal taco stand he encountered in Florida, the local Troy restaurant (Indian cuisine) Minar Restaurant, and the Albany Slavonian European restaurant (Eastern European cuisine) are also predominantly Halal. Latham's Zaitoon Kitchen is predominantly Halal, with the menu determined by the owner, who is from Afghanistan (when visiting the restaurant's website, it has three adjectives to describe its food: 'cage-free, vegetarian, Halal,' and its menu page also includes a Halal certification seal). Nonetheless, Troy's Halal Palace and the Halal Shack on the University at Albany campus still focus on the standard of New York street food carts.
'When you say Indian or Pakistani, it may also be considered Halal food, because the people supplying these Halal foods come from these regions, but by definition, Halal has no meaning other than its customary sense,' Chekima said.
According to Bloomberg, the Halal-certified category has grown by more than a third since 2010, and Halal food sales reached US$20 billion in 2016. The report noted that Whole Foods has achieved double-digit growth since 2011.
These figures are not just due to Muslim support. Because Halal food—especially meat—follows the same humane treatment of animals as organic meat, many consumer groups with related needs choose Halal-certified products.
FAQ
- Why is it inappropriate to loosely call Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine 'Halal food'?
- Because Halal, by definition, has no meaning other than its customary sense—the people supplying these foods come from regions such as India and Pakistan, so they are considered Halal meals, but Halal itself refers to food permitted under Islamic law, not a specific cuisine. New York street food carts (predominantly Halal since around 1990, often including 'halal' in their business names) and their rice, marinated meat skewers and white sauce dishes are the starting point for many people's exposure to Halal, but many other cuisines can also be classified as Halal food.
- What are the US Halal food sales growth figures, and why do non-Muslims also buy?
- According to Bloomberg, the Halal-certified category has grown by more than a third since 2010, with Halal food sales reaching US$20 billion in 2016, and Whole Foods achieving double-digit growth in this category since 2011. These figures are not just due to Muslim support—because Halal food (especially meat) follows the same humane treatment of animals as organic meat, many consumer groups with related needs also choose Halal-certified products.