Food guides from our kitchen
Plain explanations of halal and Mediterranean food, what to order, and how to feed a group — written by the team at Halal Basket in San Marcos, Texas.
-
Can Non-Muslims Eat Halal Food?
Asked quietly, usually by someone who does not want to cause offence. The answer is yes — and halal changes less on…
-
Halal, Organic and Grass-Fed Are Three Different Things
They appear on the same package and get read as one family of better-meat labels. They answer three completely different questions.
-
What Halal Certification Actually Certifies
The mark on the packet is a private assurance, not a public one. Which means the certifier’s name carries all of the…
-
Halal vs Zabiha Halal: What the Difference Is
Zabiha is not a higher grade of halal. It is the slaughter method itself — and the real argument is about machine…
-
Is Gelatin Halal?
The federal definition of gelatin names both cattle and swine. The word on the packet does not distinguish them, and that is…
-
What Makes a Menu Halal?
The most informative parts of a halal menu are the sections that are not there — and absence is easy to read…
-
What Is Arabic Food?
A category defined by language rather than geography — which is why it covers both a mezze table and a Gulf rice…
-
Eating Halal on the I-35 Corridor
The Austin to San Antonio stretch is dominated by chains at the exits. Halfway along is where a planned stop pays off.
-
Mediterranean vs Indian and Pakistani Food
If the halal food you grew up with was desi, a Mediterranean menu can look bare. It is a different cuisine, not…
-
Storing and Reheating Mediterranean Leftovers
Grilled meat and rice come back genuinely well. Anything that depends on a crisp surface or a fresh leaf does not.