Pitt Market Central adds halal foods

To the tunes of Middle Eastern music, Sodexo employees unveiled Turkish baked macaroni, Djaj… To the tunes of Middle Eastern music, Sodexo employees unveiled Turkish baked macaroni, Djaj chicken and Bamia stew ­— just a few of the fresh items newly inducted onto Market Central’s menu.

Signs in both Arabic and English marked these halal items — foods considered “lawful” under Islamic guidelines — at Magellan’s Tuesday. Market Central will now permanently serve halal foods Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. QuickZone in Litchfield Towers is also selling halal foods. The new additions come after students from Pitt’s Muslim Student Association proposed the idea earlier this semester to Sodexo at a Food Committee meeting hosted by two Student Government Board members.

The additions bring more options to campus that comply with halal, supplementing fish dishes and other items that comply with Islamic requirements incidentally.

“Students are our employer. We’re all about providing what the students are asking for,” said Abdou Cole, the general retail manager of Pitt’s Dining Services.

Market Central Head Chef Matt Mantini said that Midamar Halal, a halal food company based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, provides Pitt with the food. Last week, the University received 500 pounds of food from the company.

Junior Raheel Haque, a member of the Muslim Student Association, explained that the way the animal is slaughtered sets halal food apart. When killing the animal, the processor drains the blood faster than he would the normal process. He is also required to turn the animal’s head away from the knife before decapitation to keep the process to be humane, and thus in line with dietary guidelines. Because the animal does not see the knife, its adrenaline levels do not skyrocket.

“I think it’s important because Muslim students on campus … have been eating tuna and fish seven days per week. It really limits the options,” Haque said.

Under halal food standards, seafood is considered “legal.”

According to the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America’s website, foods not considered legal are called haram foods. These foods include pork, animals improperly slaughtered, birds of prey and alcohol.

A week after Haque and sophomore Louie Al-Hashimi proposed the halal food addition to Sodexo, Cole said he met with members of the MSA and brought two more organizers together — Mantini and Kristen Lauteri, marketing manager on campus.

“We form a little halal committee,” Cole said, highlighting the importance of students approaching Dining Services with new ideas. He said that if demand becomes apparent for halal food on upper campus, Sodexo will look into bringing the food there as well.

From behind the countertop at Magellan’s, Mantini said he is excited about the new food “because it’s fitting a niche that we didn’t provide for [students yet].”

Though it took about four or five hours to prepare the halal food Tuesday morning, Cole said it took “about an hour to destroy it,” referring to the 200 out of 600 servings devoured by student Market-goers within the first 50 minutes of Magellan’s opening.

Board member James Landreneau, who runs the Food Committee with fellow board member Emily Hoover, said that the committee helps bring changes such as the new halal foods to campus eateries. The Food Committee holds meetings between Sodexo and students every other Friday.

“I hope that next year’s Board will continue on with these meetings. The students not only enjoy going because you get free food [at meetings], but they also like to know that they’re kind of in control of what’s being selected as dining options in Pitt,” Landreneau said.

Al-Hashimi said the he was pleased with the Market addition, noting that it will not only benefit the Muslim students but the entire student body.

“It’s like extending the classroom into dining halls,” he said.