What the Eid-ul-Fitr tradition is

Eid ul Fitr at Jama Masjid, Old Delhi. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Observed on the first day of Shawwal, Eid-ul-Fitr, understandably, after a month of fasting during Ramzan, centres around food. Post the ‘Salat Al Eid’ or prayers, it is food and merriment in every home.

Chef Izzat Husain says, “Eid means a celebration, so, Muslims celebrate the end of Ramzan and seek Allah’s blessings. On Eid morning, Muslims wake up early and get dressed in new or clean clothes. They then offer Eid prayers in a congregation, which is usually in a mosque or an open field. The Eid prayer consists of two rakats, or cycles, and includes additional takbirs, or declarations of Allah's greatness.”

Eid-ul-Fitr food traditions

Being termed as ‘Meethi Eid’, desserts are the focal point on Eid-Ul-Fitr. No celebration is complete without the milk-based, rich and creamy, vermicelli sweet, sheer khurma, traditionally prepared in every home and distributed among family and friends.

Heaps of vermicelli, both machine-made and hand-made, are seen in shops as customers throng to buy these in the areas around Charminar and Yakutpura in Hyderabad, in the days before Eid. The hand-made vermicelli, made of maida and semolina, although more expensive, is sought-after, as that lends itself to the perfect texture.

Consultant Chef Rehman Mujeebur reiterates, “We start our Eid, with a sweet, like dates or seviyan. Seviyan is not mandatory, but now in India, it is a part of our culture.”

While Lucknow, too, is known for its sheer khurma, sheer zarda, too, makes an appearance in some homes there. Some families prefer the dry, dry-fruits laden, seviyan preparation in place of the milk-based, sheer khurma.

Across the globe, sweets vary on Eid. Saudi Arabian and Iranian sweets include, date-stuffed pastries and rose-flavoured keichas biscuits, maamoul or shortbread cookies, are common in Syria and Lebanon, while in Turkey, Eid al-Fitr known as Seker Bayram, or the sugar festival, is celebrated with Baklava.

But Eid is not only about sweets. There are savoury dishes to appease the palate, too. According to Mumbai-based, home-chef Mumtaz Pawaskar Kazi, “In Kokni households, it is an Eid ritual to make Sandan (made with rice and coconut milk) before dawn, so that the men folk can eat Sandan for breakfast paired with coconut milk infused with jaggery and then go for namaz. At lunch, Sandan surfaces again, this time, eaten with Akhni gosht. We also prepare an Alni palni, a yellow-colour chicken soup with haldi, saunf and coconut milk, using a small bird. Sheer khurma and seviyan, are a must for dessert.”

In Hyderabad, it is Pathar ka gosht and a slow-cooked, bowl of meaty haleem which people relish for Eid, apart from a khare (salty) seviyan, while in Old Delhi’s Jama Masjid area, nalli paya and khameeri roti are considered a not-to-be-missed dishes, apart from kebabs. Lucknow, the city of nawabs, has a rich repast for Ramzan and equally delectable galouti kebabs and biryanis for Eid.

Elaborate meals on Eid-Al-Adha

Chef Rehman shares, “Bakra Eid, comes after two months and 10 days of Eid-ul-Fitr and is basically, a symbol of sacrifice and every Muslim has to adhere to this.”

There is no single dish associated with Eid-Al-Adha across the entire Muslim world, yet all celebratory dishes include meat, as a result of the ritual animal sacrifice. And there are variations aplenty, even if all meals are neither elaborate nor traditional nowadays.

Gosht biryani, nalli nihari, kebabs have thus become synonymous with Bakra Eid. Zarda rice, made with long-grain Basmati, a yellow-coloured sweet and aromatically spicy rice dish flavoured with dry fruits and nuts, is common, as a savoury treat in north India and even parts of Bengal.

Anubhav Sapra, founder, Delhi Food Walks, says, “While surplus meat is distributed among the poor and needy on Bakra Eid, families cook meat dishes at home and even give some to shops in the Jama Masjid area of Old Delhi for barbecue and then collect it on Eid, as per the time slot, allotted to them by these shops, who do brisk business. Kachoris are sold by the dozens and people buy these to pair with home-cooked keema. Other than that, this area wears a deserted look on Eid.”

Kokni Muslims celebrate with different meat-based dishes. Home chef Mumtaz says, “In our home, sukha kaleji, mutton fry and Akhni gosht, paired with Sandan, are the special meal for Eid-Al-Adha.” While Sheer kurma is prepared by Bohri Muslims on Eid ul Fitr, it is Malida on Bakra Eid, a dessert, which originates from Afghanistan.  Blogger Umaima, in her blog, ‘Being a Mommy’, says, “Malida is a famous Bohri sweet, made using, whole wheat flour, jaggery, ghee and dry fruits. Dumplings or “muthias” made from whole wheat dough, are deep-fried, powdered and mixed with remaining ingredients which yields a healthy, sand-like sweet. Bohris enhance their malida with ‘gundar’, i.e. edible gum or gond, charoli and some dry coconut.”

For Muslims in Lucknow, it is kebabs, haleem and malpua, for dessert. Chef Rehman adds, “Usually, for lunch, people enjoy kaleji kaliya with roomali roti. Some eat grilled kaleji with mint chutney. And if it’s an elaborate Eid lunch, then it will be, bhuna gosht or gosht stew, followed by kemmami sewiyan and piste ke kheer. At dinner, it is grilled lamb chunks like lazeez boti kebab, Qurbani ka gosht (a qorma), along with roomali or khameeri roti and tandoori naan, along with a special mutton biryani and finally doodhi halwa and phirni, for dessert.”

Each region, in India is known for its distinct Eid food. For the Ravuthars in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, it is, Uppu kandam, a savoury, crispy preparation of mutton with strong pepper flavour, while the Moplah community in Kerala enjoys, Aseesa, a haleem-like chicken dish.

So, make the most of the sweet treats this Eid-ul-Fitr, as you await Bakra Eid for the robust meat delicacies.