Celebrating Eid al-Fitr, the End of Ramadan, with Sweet, Traditional Treats

posted on: Jul 17, 2015

The monthlong fasts of Ramadan will end on Friday night in North America, when the new month of Shawwal arrives at moonrise, according to the Islamic calendar.

The celebration of Eid al-Fitr, a holiday dedicated to feasting, begins the next day across the Muslim world. In Astoria, Queens, young Muslim-Americans from diverse backgrounds will converge on halal burger joints and kebab palaces.

“The parents will stay home and eat biryani,” said Zayn Hassan, a Pakistani-American student who was buying macarons to break the daily fast at Shawarmania in Astoria last month. “For us, cheeseburgers and chicken wings.”

Sumayya Usmani, who writes the food blog My Tamarind Kitchen, moved from Pakistan to Britain in 2007, and her memories of traditional celebrations are vibrant and clear.

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Sweet Vermicelli With Cardamom (Muzaffar Seviyan)
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“On Eid, you are encouraged to eat all the things that are too rich, too sweet, too creamy for a normal day,” she said. In Karachi, that meant fluffy pineapple layer cake; plump fried-meat-filled samosas; and seviyan (toasted thin wheat noodles, also called semiyan, sev or semiya) topped with khoya, a creamy mass of cooked and caramelized milk. “The whole day is dedicated to rejoicing in having food on the table,” she said.

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RELATED COVERAGE

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In the Middle East, Eid is often welcomed with stuffed pastries like kahk and mahmoul; in Southeast Asia, with ketupat, rice steamed in bundles of woven palm fronds; in South Asia, with rich meat dishes and supersweet desserts.

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RECENT COMMENTS

RS 21 hours ago
This looks excellent. I’ve had the Indian variant of this and it is delicious.
JOHN 21 hours ago
The right person (or team of persons) could do a wonderful illustrated book of Eid dishes from around the Muslim world. Starting with…
Sabeen Idris M 1 day ago
It’s great to see an article cover one of the most sacred of Muslim celebrations. Eid is a time when we celebrate having fasted the days of…
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Ms. Usmani was taught that fasting is meant to remind the community of those who go hungry every day; making gifts and donations of food are part of the holiday’s rituals. Starting at about age 10, she said, children fast until noon, then gradually work up to the sunrise-to-sunset fast that is expected of all Muslim adults. “It takes a long time to learn to avoid being distracted by hunger,” she said. “But you do get used to it. And it makes Eid that much more festive.”

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Desserts made with seviyan are popular all over South Asia. Toasting the noodles in butter until they smell nutty is the key to the dish’s depth; the next layer of flavor comes from cooking them in spice-scented milk or syrup; finally, nuts and dried fruit provide crunch and chew.

Ms. Usmani’s version, adapted from her maternal grandmother’s signature recipe, is less overwhelming than the traditional sweets of South Asia. “She actually used one part seviyan to 16 parts sugar,” she said. “I think a one-to-one ratio is ideal.”

Recipes: Sweet Vermicelli With Cardamom and Cream (Pakistani Muzaffar Seviyan) | Ramadan Recipes

Source: www.nytimes.com