Today's Edition
RAJEEV CHERIAN (ABU DHABI)
For expats in the UAE, the Holy Month of Ramadan brings back memories of home and, come iftar time, many couldn’t help but long for the taste and aroma they grew up with back in their countries.
Now in their second home, many residents try to recreate their favourite dishes and share them with friends who became family over the years.
“More than the food, it is having iftar with friends that make every gathering much sweeter,” Egyptian expat Hammad Khalid told Aletihad.
As the air echoes with the call to prayer, iftar meals — be they grand or modest — await to be served after day-long fasting during the Holy Month of Ramadan.
Although iftar traditions vary across the world, it’s a time when spiritual fulfilment meets the symphony of taste, bringing gratitude and the feeling of togetherness.
In conversation with Aletihad, members of the expat community recalled the cherished delicacies that take centre stage at iftar gatherings back home.
Stuffed Pigeons and Molokhia
For Khalid, the first food that comes to mind when thinking of iftar is molokhia, the iconic green soup made from jute leaves. It can accompany rice with chicken, duck, or meat.
“Of course, stuffed pigeon as the main course and Umm Ali as the dessert are the major highlights,” he said.
The stuffing for the pigeon-based dish, known as “hamam mahshi”, includes rice mixed with onion and herbs.
When it comes to dessert, the legendary Umm Ali reigns supreme, he said. This traditional bread pudding, baked in a clay pot, is a blend of puff pastry, roasted nuts, spiced milk, sugar, and raisins.
Barbusa, semolina cake soaked in syrup, and Qatayef, mini pancakes filled with crispy nuts or cheese and drizzled with sugary syrup, are also among the favourites for dessert.
Matoke
For Shamila Owomugisha from Uganda, it’s Matoke, a spicy green banana mash, that is the main attraction for iftar.
Matoke is steamed green bananas later mashed in banana leaves and served with stew, fish, egg, meat or vegetables.
Katogo, cassava cooked with beans, and Irish potatoes mixed with meat are also iftar favourites, she said.
For dessert, fruits gain prominence, mainly pawpaw, mangoes, watermelon, and jackfruit.
“Iftar brings us family members all together in gratitude, and sometimes, our neighbours join us, too. For us, it’s the time to pray for forgiveness, especially during Laylat Al Qadr — one of the last nights of Ramadan — and renew our faith,” she added.
Thari Kanji and Pathiri
The simplicity of thari kanji distributed at mosques at the end of fasting is wafting through the mind of Saeed Manikoth Thangal, an expat from the south Indian state of Kerala.
Thari kanji is a creamy porridge made of semolina, milk, and coconut milk. It has numerous varities, too, but all of them are topped with ghee-infused cashew, shallots, and raisins.
In households, it’s pathiri — pancakes made of rice flour, served with spicy beef or chicken curry — that is the signature part of the iftar meal, he said.
“Beyond food, it’s the time for the spiritual discipline of fasting, it makes us aware of hunger and the importance of sharing with others. It’s also the time for Zakat, the Islamic practice of donating 2.5% of a Muslim individual’s cash, gold, silver, cattle, farms and rentable assets to charity.”
