Kyoto Univ cafeteria to start providing Islamic food

Kyoto University Co-op said Monday it will start providing food permissible under Islamic law at the university’s cafeteria to meet the needs of the increasing number of Muslim students on campus. The cafeteria will introduce a Halal food corner from Tuesday, avoiding pork and seasonings of pork origin, which Muslims are banned from eating. The new menus include chicken and croquettes made of broad beans, it said.

More than 1,000 Muslims live in the city of Kyoto, many of them said to be Kyoto University students and their families. The rare introduction is aimed at supporting such Muslim students, whose population is expected to rise under the university’s plans to increase the number of foreign students it accepts.