In Makkah, several families are engaged in preparing iftar meals at home and selling them to people in various districts of the holy city. In most cases, women prepare the dishes while their men take up the task of selling them. In some cases, children also take part in selling the product. Many couples with limited income earn a hefty sum of money through the sale of homemade dishes during Ramadan.

Speaking to Arab News, 60-year-old Umm Hussein said: “I was lonely after the death of my husband and marriage of my children. Therefore, I decided to do something that would be also beneficial for my children and started preparing dishes that were most in demand among the local residents.” These dishes included Bukhari rice, pastries and the like, she said, adding that she used to sell them among her neighbors. “Soon, these dishes became popular among women in the locality and, as a result, I got more orders. Therefore, I hired two women to assist me. I managed to earn money that helped me to build a house for my children,” said Umm Adnan.

She sees Ramadan as the golden month to earn a huge surplus income that she can save for the coming months. “With another blessed month, my son and I are now busy preparing dishes and then selling them in the locality,” she added.

Similar is the case of Abdul Rahman Saeed, a low-paid government employee. “I am drawing a low salary. With a hike in prices of essential goods, it is very difficult for me to make ends meet. Hence, my wife and I decided to earn an additional income that helps us to live with dignity without asking help from others,” he said while explaining how he started making homemade dishes.

Abdul Rahman is now on leave to help his wife with the huge demand for the dishes, especially Bukhari rice and pastries. “We are pressed to prepare the dishes, due to the high demand from many women customers in the locality. I am now engaged in home delivery of the dishes. My son is helping me in selling the dishes to shoppers in front of commercial markets,” he said, adding that his daily profit is above SR300.

Ia’timad Khaled is a Saudi woman working in the administrative department of a private hospital. Her husband is jobless, and the only source of their income is her salary, which is insufficient to meet the daily expenses of the seven-member family. “Therefore, I decided to prepare dishes at home and sell them in the market in view of the huge demand for them during the holy month. In the beginning, our sales were restricted to relatives and friends. But now, we are also selling to others,” she said.

Ia’timad Khaled is on leave from office since the beginning of the holy month, so that she can fully engage in making Ramadan dishes. Ia’timad said that this trade has brought her huge profit, but declined to reveal the exact amount of her daily income. “I am afraid of envious people,” she said.

Naji Hussein is another government employee whose salary is SR2,500. “With a huge rise in our expenditure, my wife suggested that she could lend a helping hand in finding an additional income. Accordingly, she started preparing dishes at home and selling them among women school teachers,” he said.

Later, eyeing the profit of the trade, Hussein said: “I started selling homemade dishes, such as pastries and sweets, after setting up temporary stalls in front of commercial markets and mosques. There is a huge demand for the products during Ramadan,” he said.

He added that he took leave for the whole month of Ramadan so as to engage fully in this trade that earns them a huge amount of profit to meet almost all basic financial requirements of the family.