CHICAGO - First, the new owner of a nearby Kentucky Fried Chicken began trying to lure shoppers from the heart of South Asian Devon Avenue. Then a Brown’s Chicken and Pasta popped up a few blocks away.
It seemed a strange juxtaposition - all-American fast food, elbow-to-elbow with pungent cuisine from the other side of the globe.
But the secret ingredient both outlets offered was halal, the Islamic analog of kosher, a promise that the meat has been slaughtered and prepared in accordance with Islamic teachings.
And that, in turn, has sparked a neighborhood contest over whose fried chicken is truly halal, or more halal - a 21st century collision of American marketing, immigrant tastes and age-old customs.
The fried chicken wars on Devon underscore the growing power of the Muslim market.
In Muslim countries, fast food giants like McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, KFC and Burger King have long served halal meat and have become popular teen hangouts.
In the West, chains are only now picking up on the halal market. McDonald’s has two halal franchises in Dearborn, Mich., one in Australia and is considering another in Britain. A Subway location in New Jersey adopted halal about two years ago. Outback Steakhouse recently announced it offers halal lamb from New Zealand.
The halal food business is currently an estimated $16 billion industry in the U.S. alone.
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