“Each and every year family members come together for the first morning breakfast after a month of fasting,” said Um Tariq, 77. “The breakfast table is always full with dishes that are light on the stomach and easy on the eyes. You can always find cultural and local dishes on the table. Halawa turki (Turkish pudding), shereyya (sweet noodles) and debyaza (a type of jam made from apricots and dates) are the most famous and essential to the Eid breakfast.”

Um Tariq has been cooking debyaza for years and been sending her friends and neighbors every Eid. “I start cooking debyaza three or four days before Eid because it’s a long process and the huge amount I’m cooking takes too much time,” said Um Tariq. “All the ingredients can easily be found local supermarket because they are totally local and totally Saudi.”

You will need apricot paste, dried dates, dried apricot, raisins and some nuts.

“You start by slightly frying the nuts and raisins until they turn gold then put them a side to use in the future. Marinate the dried dates and apricot in hot water and add sugar to it then sift it and put to the side,” she said. “Now you bring a big cooking pot and add the apricot paste to hot water and keep stirring on the stove until it turns to thick liquid. You finally add the nuts and dried apricot and dates to the melted paste and keep stirring. Take it off the stove and wait till it cools down then separate it to small containers and keep it in the fridge until the time to serve it cold.”

Cooking debyaza and distributing to friends and family has been a tradition in Um Tariq’s family for generations now.

“I’ve been cooking it for more than 60 years now and I learned from my mother and aunts because we used to live in one big house so the whole family contributed in this tradition and now I’m teaching my children and grandchildren this tradition to keep it in the family,” she said.

“My friends and neighbors now call me before Ramadan ends asking about my debyaza and I have become famous from this dish,” she added.