Sweet and savoury halal dishes you can find around Waterloo region: Andrew Coppolino

Halal options can be found at restaurants throughout Waterloo region, from Syrian, Turkish and Afghani to Ethiopian venues.

The flavours, both sweet and savoury, are something to enjoy year round and not just during Islamic Heritage Month.

Halal is an Arabic word meaning "lawful" and, in reference to food, pertains to dietary standards in meat and food processing, meat products, ingredients and food contact materials.

By far the most prevalent cuisine with halal options is Middle Eastern. At restaurants such as Chopan Kabob in Kitchener, menu options like their mantoo dumplings capture elements of Indian and Pakistani cuisine but have been tweaked with Aghani ingredients by the founders of the business.

The number of restaurants from the Horn of Africa, and Ethiopian venues specifically, has grown significantly along with stores specializing in Ethiopian and Eritrean Halal foods.

Restaurants such as Muya, East African Cafe, and K-W African Cuisine in Kitchener feature the unique injera, a spongy, pancake-like bread made from teff flour, a mainstay of the cuisine and East African agriculture: it becomes the utensil you use to eat zil zil beef (often spiced with berbere) and tekel gomen, an Ethiopian cabbage dish.

Shawarma, whether Syrian, Turkish or Lebanese, is a hugely popular dish that is the cornerstone of many Middle Eastern restaurants. But there are menu items other than the rotisserie-roasted meat enveloped in a pita and garnished with garlic sauce and pickled turnip — and which fit the bill for both sweet and savoury.

'We share our food'

Middle Eastern cuisine, according to Mamoun Yanes of Arabesque restaurant in Kitchener, is part of a large family of related foods.

"This is Mediterranean cuisine," Yanes says. "We share our food with our neighbours, the Turkish, the Greeks. This is our region, and we share almost all the same halal food." 

At Chic Pea in Waterloo, an elliptical-shaped "pizza" called sujuk is a delicious spiced meat dish that comes out of their bell oven.

"It has a lot of spices, more than other meat pizza dishes. It's for breakfast, lunch or dinner," according to Chic Pea chef Nabil Darouich.

He points to a culinary sharing that is evident in the history of sujuk.

"It's not Arabic food," he says. "It's Armenian, but there are lots of Armenians in Syria, Lebanon and Turkey. It spread everywhere."

'Great food should be for everybody'

Halal options have grown in Waterloo region, as have gluten-free and vegan dishes at restaurants — and, in some cases, they have grown to include popular North American classics.

For Moe Al, it's about sharing food across cultures. At his restaurant Philthy Philly's, near Wilfrid Laurier University, he makes halal poutines and Philly cheesesteaks.

"I'm Muslim myself, and I like to ensure that there's food for everyone. My motto is that great food should be for everybody. When I came to Waterloo, I noticed such a big Muslim community, and I wanted food for them to enjoy," he says.

Adapting his work area and cleaning grills and equipment to ensure there is no cross-contamination, as well as sourcing halal ingredients like the ribeye steak for the sandwich, has paid off for the busy restaurant: Al has just opened a Philthy Philly's in London and plans are underway for a Cambridge location, too.

Sweet treats

As for sweets, Middle Eastern restaurants in the region offer a wide selection. At Queen Shawarma and Kabab, there are a few trays of home-made Turkish desserts (including vegan versions) such as revani, a cake-like square, and tatli, a sort of Turkish churro with sugar syrup.

As well, the small take-away shop in downtown Kitchener makes what is virtually a universal favourite: baklava, the phyllo pastry with crisp layers of walnuts, pistachios and sugar syrup, although some cuisines will use rose water or honey.

At Arabesque, sweets are made daily according to co-owner Mohamad Yanes, including baklava and a cake-like pastry, perhaps similar to Queen Shawarma's revani, made with wheat flour: it's an example of that family of foods.

"We call it harissa, or nammoura. It's semolina with yogurt, sugar syrup and a little bit of pistachios and almonds," he says.

"Back home, people make harissa at Ramadan and for Eid. It's the same with baklava, especially at iftar and suhur," Yanes says, the latter a meal taken before fasting.

While such sweets might have a religious role, they are delicious eaten at any time of the year and speak to the growth of this cuisine in our communities.