Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr Food: Traditional Dishes and Recipes
When and how is it celebrated?
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. The lunar year is about eleven days shorter than the solar calendar year, so the fasting month moves through all the seasons. In 2027 it begins around 8 February, and in the years after that about eleven days earlier each time. The fast lasts from dawn until sunset. Before daybreak there is a small meal called suhur. By old tradition, iftar begins with dates and water. A soup follows, and the main course often comes only after the evening prayer. After 29 or 30 days the month ends with Eid al-Fitr, the festival of breaking the fast. It usually lasts three days, and children are given sweets and small gifts of money.
What is on the table?
Which soup follows the dates depends on the country. In Morocco it is Harira with tomatoes, lentils and chickpeas. Next to it lies Chebakia, fried sesame pastries in honey syrup. In the Levant and the Gulf people eat Shorbat Adas, a lentil soup with cumin and lemon. Fried samosas filled with minced meat or vegetables sit on almost every iftar table in East Africa and on the Arabian Peninsula. In the Gulf, families cook Harees, wheat and meat cooked for hours until they break down into a creamy porridge. One sweet in Syria, Jordan and Egypt is made almost only during Ramadan. Qatayef are small pancakes filled with nuts or a cream filling and folded into half-moons. After a long day of fasting, a cool drink is always part of the meal. In Egypt and Syria it is often Qamar Al-Din, made from dried apricot paste dissolved in water.
Tips for your own festive meal
An iftar for guests is easy to prepare ahead. Cook the soup the day before, as harira gets thicker and fuller when reheated. Have the dates, water and a salad such as Fattoush ready before the sun goes down. For the main course, a Maqluba works well, turned out onto the platter in front of your guests. For Eid al-Fitr, many families bake Ma’amoul days in advance, semolina biscuits with a date or pistachio filling. Kept in a tin, they stay fresh for a good week.
