JEDDAH: With the Kingdom saturated with people from a wide range of countries, expatriates enjoy breaking their Ramadan fast with delicacies that are typical to their home countries.
Pakistanis Omar Mistawi and Abd Al-Muqeet like to break their fast with family members while enjoying traditional Pakistani dishes. “Traditional Pakistani cuisine gives us the feeling of our home country,” said Mistawi. “We like to have pakora and biryani, and drink lassi and Rooh Afza (a type of rose syrup drink),” said Abd Al-Muqeet. Ihsan Iqbal from Sri Lanka says dishes such as kangy (a type of Sri Lankan porridge), tuna cutlets and soup made from squashed rice are often seen on the Sri Lankan Iftar table. “Food represents a country to a great degree in my opinion,” he added. Hanif Mustaq, who is from south India, says he enjoys south Indian dishes for Iftar. “I don’t cook myself so I usually buy Indian food from Sharafiya. I like to have Indian food because it makes me feel I am in India,” he said, adding that he particularly enjoys masala dosa (cooked vegetables rolled in crispy rice-bread), and idli (steamed rice cutlets with coconut and chili chutney). Wa’ad, an Eritrean housewife, said Ramadan is a time when her family comes together. “Even distant relatives visit each other,” she said. Wa’ad’s family enjoys Eritrean delicacies such as zigni (a rice and meat dish), kisra (a kind of soft bread), sambosas and soup for Iftar.
Abdullah Sierra, who is from the Philippines, likes to get together with Muslim and non-Muslim Filipino friends who — out of respect for their fellow Muslim Filipino brothers — also observe Ramadan and do not eat until Iftar. “We get together and cook Filipino dishes like adobo chicken and semi-goang soup for Iftar,” he said.
Mrs. Tariq, a German national, said her family is health conscious and does not like unhealthy meals.
“My husband is a physician and my son is at school. They both need to get to bed early and because of this they don’t eat Sahoor. At Iftar, my family likes special Egyptian dishes such as orange lentil soup and other healthy food items,” she said.
Aieda, a Syrian housewife, said she usually makes fataat makdus — shredded bread soaked in tomato-meat soup topped with fried eggplants and chopped chickpeas, garnished with nuts — for Iftar.
