halalflation en · NOUN
Etymology
Blend of halal + inflation, coined by Zohran Mamdani.
Meanings
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(slang, uncountable) An increase in the prices of street food in New York City, especially halal cart food.
New York is suffering from a crisis and it’s called halalflation. Chicken over rice now costs $10 or more. It’s time to make halal eight bucks again.
2025 January 13, Emma Orlow, quoting Zohran Mamdani, Eater, page https://ny.eater.com/2025/1/13/24342837/zohran-mamdani-halal-food-inflation-mayor-candidate:Breaking up this city-enforced cartel and issuing permits to anyone who applied for one, Mamdani said, would end the "Halalflation" that had raised the cost of a chicken and rice plate from $8 to $10.
2026 February/March, Christian Britschgi, “The two faces of Zohran Mamdani”, in Reason, volume 57, number 9, page 27:With cameras rolling, the fresh-faced Democrat mainlined a takeout container as he explained in simple terms how the city’s arcane permitting process was squeezing vendors and driving “halalflation.”
2025 July 1, Nicholas Fandos, Benjamin Oreskes, Emma G Fitzsimmons, Jeffery C Mays, “How Zohran Mamdani Stunned New York and Won the Primary for Mayor”, in New York Times:He [Zohran Mamdani] coined the term “Halalflation” while discussing rising food costs from inside a food cart, and later explained ranked-choice voting in Urdu using cups of lassi, a yogurt-based beverage, as props.
[2025 June 27, Dylan Wells, Hunter Tatum, “Mamdani’s online engagement translated at the ballot box”, in The Washington Post, page A.7: