By Nouran Malak
The holy month of Ramadan is when Muslims around the globe fast during daylight hours for 29-30 days. Muslims observing fast in Ramadan do not eat or drink anything during the daylight hours. They only eat two meals – one is Sehri just before dawn and another is Iftar after sunset. Popular Ramadan food and dishes for these meals differ across countries. However, some are common to most geographies and cultures. The end of Ramadan is marked by Eid-ul-Fitr when a special celebratory meal is eaten, which is the first meal eaten during the daylight hours after a month.
Ramadan food and meals should essentially be healthy eats so that the nutritional needs of the body are met even while fasting. To do this, it is advisable to make sure that the food is packed with essential nutrients like proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates, and minerals. Since Sehri and Iftar need to provide sufficient sustenance all through the day. Also, it is necessary to stay hydrated and drink enough water. Adults should drink two to three glasses of water per hour from Iftar to Sehri.
Some of these dishes are also exclusively served only during this holy month of fasting. The majority of these dishes are loaded with complex carbohydrates and are low in sugars and fats. Foods with hydrating properties are common, whereas spicy dishes are usually avoided.
Soups
Soups are a great, light dish for breaking your fast before moving on to the main meal.
Lentil soup is made with split red lentils, onion, carrot, and potato served with crusted bread and lemon slides.
Barley soup also called (shurba hab) is made by boiling ground barley in meat stock with onion and tomato paste which are easy to cook and break down in the body.
Sambusa
Ramadan feast is never complete without these delicious Sambusak is popular in Saudi Arabia but throughout the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. These savory pastries are stuffed with a variety of fillings—cheese, ground beef, and chicken being the most common options. Sambusak is a relatively easy dish to make and involves taking thin buttery dough, which can be baked or deep fried and served with hot salad prepared from tomatoes, green chilies, garlic, tomato paste, and olive oil
Eash bellaham
Hijazi meat bread is one of the baked dishes stuffed pie made from baked bread that is topped with lamb or beef mince and a paste made of sesame seeds (tahini).
Mutabbaq
Muttabaq is a famous Saudi Arabian thin flatbread dough that is more like roti and consists of a thin layer stuffed with minced meat, eggs, leeks, and scallions. The word mutable roughly translates as folded. Crispy on the outside and generously stuffed on the inside, this dish is usually baked in some regions and served with lemon wedges and whole chilies.
Ful wa Tameez
This dish is especially popular during Ramadan, and it is a warm appetizing breakfast dish. consisting of mashed fava beans cooked with cloves of garlic, onion, tomatoes, and spices with a generous drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice and are then served with tameez thick flatbread.
Fatayer
Fatayer is a filled pie dish that can be made with a variety of fillings such as cheese, labneh, and spinach that is rolled out into an assortment of shapes and baked in the oven until they are golden generally served as appetizers alongside hummus.
LGEIMAT
These are popular desserts with Fried balls of dough flavored with saffron and drenched in sugar syrup, These are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.
MA’MOUL
These are delicious Middle Eastern baked cookies stuffed with dates or pistachios and walnuts coated with icing sugar served with Saudi coffee
Kunafa
For a real Ramadan indulgence, a Middle Eastern dessert the basic recipe is Crushed dough soaked in a rose water simple syrup and layered stuffed with different fillings cheese, banana, nuts, and cream.
