certification

Where to find halal food in India? This question often slides on social media platforms or forums. The Muslim travelers’ concern is justified because most of India’s population adheres to Hinduism. If you were in a country where most of the population is non-Muslim, you would worry about finding Halal food.

If the visit is only three days, it might not be too much of a problem, of course. Just enjoying fruit and bread is enough. Or bring supplies from home.

But if it’s a week, two weeks or even a month? It would become a troublesome obstacle to overcome.

Although India is dominated by Hindus, in fact, in terms of food, the country does have many differences. Most Hindus in India are mostly vegetarians. This means you can’t eat animal products except for milk. Don’t eat chicken, goat, pork, or beef because cows are considered sacred in India.

The Non-Halal Restaurants

However, not all Hindus in India are vegetarian. Hindus in southern India also consume fish in their daily diet.

So, if you come to India, you don’t have to worry about looking for halal food because most restaurants serve food with a vegetarian menu, which of course is halal for consumption. Their vegetarian menu usually consists of potatoes, vegetables, paneer (Indian-style tofu/cheese made from milk) and lentils (a type of legume).

Then what about the non-vegetarian food menu?

A small number of restaurants and stalls also sell food on the chicken meat menu. Even international brand fast food restaurants such as KFC, Burger King, Subway, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and so on sell burgers and fried chicken menus.

Do they have halal certificate? Unfortunately, most of it is not halal. Is it because there is a mixture of pork? No, but the chicken is not cut in an Islamic way.

The Halal Ones

Only a few cities in India where fast food restaurants such as KFC, McDonald’s, and Pizza Hut (international brands) have Halal certification; namely the cities of Hyderabad, Kanpur and Kashmir.

This city has a large Muslim population. This halal certificate is plastered on the wall of the order counter. If there are other cities in India that already have halal certificates in restaurants, or if you have friends that have the experience, please put the info in the comment section below.

The most frequently asked question is, “What about the non-vegetarian menu on the train?” This one has no halal certainty. During the train journey in India, Muslims always prefer the vegetarian menu. Even if it’s non-vegetarian, they usually order non-vegetarian food with an egg menu.

If you want to eat animal protein or want to enjoy a typical Indian Muslim food menu, just come to the Old Delhi area. precisely around the Jama ‘Masjid area. From fried chicken, and grilled chicken to Mughlai dishes, which are world-famous for their delicacy, all of them can be found in the old city of Delhi.

Then, what about in other cities? As with other countries in the world that are dominated by non-Muslims, halal cuisine is usually easy to find around mosques. The easy way is to find the HALAL sign in the restaurant. One of the characteristics of restaurants that serve non-vegetarian and Halal menus in cities in India is the presence of Urdu writing in the restaurant.