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Written by Al Khan, Technology and Digital Marketing Fellow at Eat Offbeat – LinkedIn Al Khan

We at Eat Offbeat take pride in the diversity, inclusion, and plurality of our team. We not only serve food from four different continents but also our staff members are diverse in terms of nationality, ethnicity, orientation, and religion. Keeping in line with our tradition of celebrating diversity and inclusivity, we’ve decided to offer specially curated Ramadan Menus for our customers. It is an opportunity for New Yorkers to experience the flavors of Ramadan and for Muslims in New York City to throw a feastful Iftar dinner for their friends and family.

I think it’s best to first shed some light on the significance of this month and why it is observed – also, its connection to food. The word Ramadan / Ramazan /رمضان comes from the Arabic root ‘ramida’ or ‘ar-ramad’, which means scorching heat or dryness. Ramadan is the holiest of the four holy months in the Islamic lunar calendar. Once the sighting of the new moon is authenticated from a reliable source, several customs and stringent practices begin as part of the deep-rooted Ramadan tradition. Muslims are supposed to fast from Dawn till Dusk. Fasting during Ramadan is a religious obligation – its mandatory for all adult Muslims to fast for the entire month of Ramadan. At the commencement of Ramadan, Muslims wish each other by saying, “Ramadan Mubarak” which means “Blessed Ramadan.” So if you have a friend who you know fast during Ramadan, just wish them “Ramadan Mubarak” – you’ll make their day

In order to prepare themselves for a full day of fasting, Muslims eat before the first rays of sun hit the sky / that meal is called Suhoor or Sehri سحور /سحری. When the sun sets, Muslims break their fast / that meal is called Iftar or Iftari /إفطار‎. For iftar, the food prepared is rather unusual and appears almost only during Ramadan. For example, Dates are used to break the fast during Ramadan but aren’t usually found at the dinner table otherwise. Additionally, some of the food items that become a must have at the Iftar table are unique to some parts of the world. In most of South Asia (Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh & India), in an Iftar meal, Samosas, Pakoras, and Fruit Chaat are a must.

A samosa is a fried or baked pastry with a savory filling, it is usually a different combination of the following ingredients, including spiced potatoes, chicken, ground beef, onions, peas, or lentils. Pakoras are made by choosing one or two main ingredients, such as onion, eggplant, potato, spinach, plantain, paneer, cauliflower, tomato, or chili pepper.  Then those ingredients are mixed and lathered in a batter made from gram flour and then deep fried. Fruit Chaat is made by combining chilled juicy fruits with mild spices. Chai/Tea is another hot beverage that is a quintessential part of Iftar. Although, during Summers, a Pakistani iftar table is incomplete without a jug of Rooh-Afza sharbat. Rooh Afza is a concentrated squash containing pure ingredients that can do an excellent job of refreshing and rejuvenating you during hot summers.

There is another Ramadan intricacy, which is unique to South Asia and is in contrast to what is common in the Middle East. The word Ramadan is written and pronounced differently. South Asia is the birthplace of one of the oldest civilizations in the world and is also home to a vast Muslim population. It has its own cultural, linguistic and religious identity, the result of an amalgamation of people and cultures over millennia. Islam’s roots are in the Arabian Peninsula and when it reached South Asia, it mixed some Arabic customs and traditions with the existing South Asian ones. Because it was introduced to South Asia by Central Asian and Persian rulers, the language that prevailed in this religio-cultural context was Persian, therefore, most of the Islamic religious nomenclature in South Asia is in Persian. A majority of the Muslim population of the region uses the Persian ‘Ramzan’, pronounced with a softer ‘z’. The word Namaz (Persian) is used for prayer as opposed to the Arabic (Salah). Also, the word Khuda (Persian) is commonly used for referring to God as opposed to the Arabic (Allah). These practices have recently seen some changes with more influx of Arab traditions; however, for the most part, these variations make South Asia different from the rest of the Islamic world.

So now that you’ve some context, from here onwards I will refer to Ramadan *drum roll* as Ramzan – Since I am a Pakistani and that’s how we say it. Just like my American friends think it’s OK to write the Month before the Date and they’re entitled to doing that because that’s how they do it. So now I want to write Ramadan as Ramzan

Do check out our specially curated Ramzan Menus here – We tried to incorporate Ramzan flavors from all over the world. My favorite is the Chicken Birayni though (Call me biased), it is the undisputed queen of the South Asian cuisine. No arguments about that one, hands down Biryani wins on all accounts. It has flavor, aroma, and nutrition. This time around in our specially curated menu, we’ve added two Add-ons. We have a Basil Chia Seeds drink from Iran, which is extremely refreshing, it is Persian rosewater and wild basil seed summer drink and Cold Doodh Patti from Afghanistan which is Sweet Cold Tea Beverage with Cardamom, Milk & Tea Leaves. My friends tell me Doodh Patti is like Chai Tea Latte but only better.

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Written by Ahmed Zidan, Egyptian Journalist and Social Media Strategist – Tweets @zidanism

The smell of edible delicacies fill the nostrils, the sound of utensils banging on tables in harmony arising from the neighbors’ windows. The sun is just about to set, and everyone is on standby. Then the sound of madfa’ (cannon) coming from the 800-year old Cairo Citadel, built by the Kurdish Ayyubid ruler Saladin, culminates the anticipation.

The ceremonial blank shot, followed by adhan (call to prayer) and du’a (invocation), announces a synchronized feast in which tens of millions of Egyptian Muslims will simultaneously indulge in the ritual of eating. This is not a large national dinner, but rather a normal Ramadan evening.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is observed by the over 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide in Muslim countries and in the diaspora. It is a month of sawm (fasting) to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad, the founder of Islam, in Laylato al-Qadr (Night of Power) over 1,400 years ago, according to the Islamic belief.

During the 29 or 30 days of Ramadan, Muslims abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex daily from sunrise to sunset. Observants believe that fasting helps develop good behavior, purify body and soul, attain taqwa (fear of God), and induce jihado an-nafs, an Islamic concept of consciously repelling against one’s own psyche with all of its desires and temptations.

In addition to reading the Quran, either individually or in groups, believers practice zakat (that which purifies), which is calculated based on one’s wealth and properties, from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs (think of zakat as taxation but without the IRS forms), and sadaqa (alms giving).

Muslims show compassion toward the poor during that month, including but not limited to, organizing khaimat iftar (tents for breaking the fast), that provide free meals for those in need at iftar time, usually donated by wealthy individuals, mosques and institutions. Fasting is a Fardhu ‘ain (obligatory) for adult Muslims, with a few exceptions.

In his book, “Loud Thoughts on Religion: A Version of the System Study of Religion. Useful Lessons for Everybody,” the Azerbaijani academic Rafig Aliyev states that pagans of Mecca, where Muhammad is said to be born, also fasted, but only on the tenth day of Muharram, Ashura, to expiate sins and avoid droughts. “In Islam, of course, there are promised, compensated and expiatory fasting, although fasting during the month of Ramadan is completely different,” Aliyev writes. “[F]asting is performed as a gratitude to Allah for welfare [Muslims] are given.”

Scholars argue that Ramadan fasting originated from the strict Lenten discipline of the Syrian Churches. Jews and Bahá’ís, also monotheists, fast in a similar fashion but for a fewer number of days annually. There are also various forms of fasting in both Buddhism and Hinduism.

Some observants believe in health benefits associated with fasting, although this is widely disputed in the scientific community.

As Islam was tailored for the Arabian Peninsula, where it had originated [Muslims, to the contrary, believe in the universality of their religion], observant communities in the northernmost regions, like Chechnya, the Scandinavian Peninsula, and elsewhere, will find themselves fasting anywhere between 17 to 20 hours a day this year. Watch this beautiful video, created by my former colleagues at Radio Netherlands Worldwide, on how Muslims of Iceland observe Ramadan.

Muslim communities across New York and New Jersey will come together to celebrate the month of Ramadan, especially in the areas of Bay Ridge (Yemenis, Egyptians and Palestinians), Midwood (Uzbeks,Tajiks, and other Central Asian Muslims), Kensington (Pakistanis and Bengalis), Cobble Hill’s section of Atlantic Avenue (Yemenis and Syrians), Astoria’s Little Egypt in and around Steinway Street, Jersey City (Egyptians), Clifton, NJ, and others.

Despite the fact that there are currently two Muslim American women serving in Congress for the first time, Ramadan comes again this year in a politically charged atmosphere amid the current administration’s rhetoric targeting migrants generally and Muslim migrants specifically. Trump capitalized on his anti-Muslim bigotry and racism to rally his base, and made it as both a campaign promise and a policy priority.

Different cultures associate Ramadan with different things. In Turkey, “Ramazan” is associated with pidesi, a traditional soft bread, and pastrami. In both Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, the month is associated with nishalda, a dessert cooked with whipped egg whites, sugar syrup, and herbs.

In Libya, Ramadan is associated with bureek, pastry filled with meat, mint tea accompanied by a dessert, and card games. Meanwhile in Syria, known for its rich and diverse cuisine, Ramadan delicacies include madlouka, a knafeh dough mixed with rose water and nuts and topped with kashta (like clotted cream) and/or attr (simple syrup), For beverages, Syrians will drink arak sous (fermented liquorice), tamarind-based drinks, and a refreshing mix of lemon with mint.

My partner Rola associates Ramadan growing up in the Lebanese capital Beirut with playing arcade games like Street Fighter (street fighting was not in short supply during the country’s civil war between 1975 and 1990).

Going further east to Kashmir Valley, home to about 7 million Muslims, babri beol, a drink made with basil seeds, is a Ramadan delicacy at iftar time. Faizul, a Bengali Uber driver who lives in Brooklyn, associates Ramadan in Dhaka with playing cricket alongside his schoolmates before heading to class.

The hibiscus-based Bissap is the beverage of choice in Senegal–a country with a population of 15 millions, from which 92% are Muslims–during the month Ramadan (we, Egyptians, also have our own hibiscus drink).

In Cairo, home to about 20 million people, I learned to avoid the two hours just before iftar in the capital’s already congested traffic. Egyptian drivers, rushing back home from work or heading to family and friends’ homes for a group iftar, will use all tactics at their disposal to arrive to their destinations before the maghrib adhan (call to the sunset prayer), zigzagging through cars and passerby. If you happen not to make it to your destination before the adhan, which will most likely be the case, watch your faces because good samaritans will throw plastic bags of dried dates through your car’s windows.

I associate Ramadan, myself, with khoshaf, a fruit compote served cold or hot with either milk or water ahead of iftar as a way to replenish the body after long hours of fasting, rozz bil laban (rice pudding mixed with rose water and topped with nuts and dried coconut), and amar ed-din (a beverage or pudding made from dried apricot).

As a kid, Ramadan was all about the fanous (lantern) which is used as a decoration and is believed to have originated during the Fatimid Caliphate (now exported from the People’s Republic of China). Street decorations are also a common sight in Cairo as part of the month-long festivities.

After breaking the fast, there are fawazeer Ramadan (mostly televised riddles that captivate the nation’s imagination), soap operas (lots of them), and heavy advertising campaigns made specifically for the occasion (think of Super Bowl ad breaks but for a whole month). And if there is an international football competition or a local game scheduled on Ramadan night, that will spice things even more.

Egyptians, especially adult males, will huddle in coffee shops smoking shisha (hookah), playing board games, and discussing the unfolding plot of a TV serial. Every aspect of life is rescheduled and reappropriated for the occasion. Meanwhile, the feast of eating will continue throughout the night with the suhoor meal (supper), then probably more TV, or you know, sleep.

Ahead of Ramadan, I called my family, who I haven’t seen in several years because of my asylum status here in the United States, to wish them a blessed Ramadan. 30 minutes or so into our WhatsApp video call, my dad had to leave to join taraweeh (literally: recreation), which are extra prayers performed late at night throughout the month of Ramadan with a break in between (as a young kid, taraweeh were too long for me that my feet hurt, nevertheless, they were an enjoyable experience especially if the imam, who leads the prayers, recites the Quran beautifully with intonation).

As a Godly reward for the faithful, Muslims celebrateEid ul-Fitr (Festival of Breaking the Fast) directly after Ramadan. Fasting is prohibited on the first day of this three-day festival.

Ramadan’s ending and Eid’s beginning, like all other Islamic lunar months, depend on the traditional principle of confirmed sighting of the new crescent moon by the naked eye, and that’s why the first day of Ramadan might differ from one country to another. And also because of this, Ramadan doesn’t have a fixed date on solar calendars, but will rather rotate around the Gregorian year.

The Eid brings with it a steady supply of delicious sweets like ca’k, borrowed from the English “cake” which is itself borrowed from the Viking “kaka.” Ca’ko el-Eid are buttery cookies sprinkled with generous amounts of superfine sugar. My younger brother and I would engage in the sacred ritual of counting the Eidyya, usually monetary gifts from parents, relatives and neighbors, to mark Eid. I would always taunt him if I received more money than him. (I know, elder brothers are terrible).

While doing my laundry the other day, Sabir, a Pakistani store owner and a father of four who immigrated to this country from Karachi, told me that when Jews and Christians visit his Kensington laundromat, they show their admiration for Ramadan, especially the togetherness that distinguishes its rituals. In normal days, Sabir and his family members eat separately, but “the beauty of Ramadan,” he tells me, is that all his family members get together and sit around one table waiting for the adhan. Hunger ends now until the sun rises again, as families and communities break bread together. “This is the baraka (blessing) of it.”

P.S. Wherever you are reading this, remember the plight of the Muslims of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, northwest of China, where authorities there deem fasting as a “sign of extremism,” according to Amnesty. Open or even private displays of religious affiliation in the region might land you in one of Xinjiang’s internment camps. Join Amnesty in helping Muslims of Xinjiang practice their right in observing Ramadan. To them, and all other observant Muslims across the globe, I wish them Ramadan/Ramazan Mubarak.

Ahmed Zidan is an Egyptian journalist and social media strategist. His work has appeared on several publications and was translated to several languages, including the Global Investigative Journalism Network, openDemocracy, ReadWrite, the Arab American Institute, Deutsche Welle, Alhurra, Radio Sawa, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, ArabNet, and others. He was an editor at Mideast Youth network that won the 2011 Best of Blogs award from Deutsche Welle. He was part of the team that made the “Pharaoh vs the Egyptians” award-winning documentary in 2011 that chronicled the Egyptian revolution of that year from five different cities. He has worked in Cairo, Beirut, Berlin, and Amsterdam. Zidan has resided in the United States since 2013. He currently lives and works in New York. Follow him on Twitter @zidanism.

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The Sun will soon cross the celestial equator and set into motion a series of 3,000 year old rituals to welcome Nowruz, the first day of Spring. For Iranians and their neighbors with Zoroastrian roots it means the birth of a New Year.

As my parents do every Spring, they decorate a Haft Seen table spread of seven symbolic goods. Wisdom is exhibited by the fruits of the Lotus tree known as senjed, while health is signified by apples. A mirror sits at the center of the sofreh as our new goldfish dashes back and forth. The glitter on the painted eggs sparkle next to the growing sabzeh sprouts that represent our union with nature. If the pastel rich colors of Easter were siblings to the metaphors of the Passover Seder table, the Nowruz Haft Seen would be the youngest of the three—inheriting a cultured allure by default and reflecting its youth in a colorful, upbeat outfit with stories to match (full disclosure: I am the youngest sibling).

The Nowruz Haft-Seen Table

The eve of the last Wednesday before the New Year is lit. Literally. Scrappy bonfires are constructed on streets in every corner of the world where we choose to ignore fire safety laws. Before the Fyre Festival, there was the Nowruz Fire Festival. Friends hold hands as they jump over the flames, singing sorkhi-ye to az man, zardi-ye man az to. Give me your beautiful healthy energy, take away my yellow ills. We let the smoke shed away our year’s troubles, as we welcome its warmth to light a brighter year. In small towns, children roam the night banging their spoons on pots in exchange for candy. Is this how trick-or-treat began?

The night leading up to the spring equinox is spent reading Hafez and teasingly interpreting his poetic verses to predict our fortunes. Lying on a gabbeh carpet munching on dried fruits, nuts, and shirini keshmeshi, we take turns asking questions about what the year will have in store for us. Is this the year Ali (finally) gets married? Should Narges quit her job? How will I do on my midterms? Ancient texts offer us 8-ball wisdom. My father reads aloud as my mother translates with care. In the background, my grandmother walks circles around us swinging esfand from side to side. The Evil Eye has no chance against BeBe’s superstitions.

And when the New Year is embraced sometime in the middle of the night across the United States, the youngest children line up to be gifted envelopes of cash. Their parents dance alongside their teenagers to Googoosh classics as their elders wrap themselves around their grandchildren and flip through scrap books of Kodaks filled with thick mustaches and leather jackets from the 1970’s. Stories of the 1979 revolution and the subsequent migration unfold. Did everyone’s parents come to this country with $5 in their pockets? To pass on everything but the struggles they faced, parents never miss an opportunity to remind their children to study to ultimately become the next generation of doctors, lawyers, or engineers. “…Or all three!” the young ones joke.

The first and last days of any year are spent sitting across from each other, catching up over dishes painted in herbs, spices, and nuts. Much like the Haft Sin table, every ingredient is symbolic and meant to satisfy a part of your pallet. Kashke bademjan and Salad Shirazi to start before the smell of tart cherries fill the room. All eyes lock with the Persian Sour Cherry Rice. Crushed pistachios are sprinkled on in slow motion. Then the Chicken Fesenjan stew—prepared with pomegranate molasses and walnuts—makes its grand appearance. Our table cloth becomes its red carpet. Selfies are taken unapologetically and tagged with #YoureMyJoon. Finally, fields of sabzi rice compliment chunks of beautifully grilled mahi. Noosheh Jaan!

Plates shift and mountains of Basmati rice meet on your dish. Our obsession for the staple ingredient led to the creation of tahdig—a crispy rice fantasy born out of slicing potatoes and chunks of bread at the bottom of the pan as the rice cooks. Genius is an understatement for this gastronomic innovation. The history books forget to mention that as Sparta and Troy battled for a woman named Helen, the Persians were (and continue to be) busy creating their own family feuds for ownership of the last piece of tahdig in every pot. I will never forgive my cousin for stealing my tahdig off my plate nearly a decade ago. He is dead to me.

Nowruz is a multi-day affair (You should see our weddings!). Special dinners are prepared to welcome in friends. You shop for a new outfit, bleach the house spotless, showcase old glassware, and finally take off those plastic covers from the fancier furniture in the guest room. If the neighbors have been nice, they are invited to exchange their golden ticket for a seat at the table where they will relish recipes that have been perfected over thousands of years somewhere between the Silk Road and TehranAngeles (better known as Westwood, California). If our neighbors have not been anything short of pleasant…they will still be invited. Like death and taxes, Persian hospitality just works that way.

When you find yourself at a Nowruz dinner don’t take it personally that no one listens to your requests. Ta’rof custom means your demands will only be met if you repeat them three times. This is why our mothers fill your plates with food even after you kindly deny another course. Be aware that refusing their home cooking will be met with cross-questioning and immense guilt. Why don’t you want more food? I break my back for you! No diet is good for you! Eat! You have been warned.

This year I will be nowhere near my family so I chose to celebrate Nowruz with Chef Nasrin. Nasrin immigrated from Iran to the U.S. only a few years ago. Shortly after, she began cooking for Eat Offbeat, a New York-based catering company that employs immigrants. Founded by my friend and mentor Manal Kahi, this year they are preparing a Nowruz menu that includes many of my favorite dishes.

There is a sense of comradery in Nasrin’s kitchen that all families have during the holidays. I call it a “loving chaos” that functions harmoniously as pandemonium exists at every corner of the kitchen. In the food industry, the best ones are created with a magical formula of love and respect for each other (two extra scoops of brown sugah never hurt nobody). I can only hope to build the same team at Abe’s Meats.

My visit to see Nasrin was special because we taught the Iranian Nowruz traditions to the other chefs before we learned about Afghan and Kurdish ones from other members of the team. The holiday is celebrated beyond the borders of Iran in countries like Iraq, Uzbekistan, and even China. What should we include in the menu? The tart cherries! We spent the rest of the day cooking and eating amazing food, reading poetry, dancing to Baba Karam, and banging some pots until Manal gifted us with baklava. Before I left Nasrin handed me a poem.

In the name of Love,

I wish you the greenest Spring,

I gift you a thousand beautiful songs,

It is said smelling love takes a moment,

I present you a thousand of those moments.

Nasrin is writing a poem with every Eat Offbeat delivery she makes this Nowruz. This Spring will mark the 1398th year of Nowruz. If you know someone who celebrates the holiday be sure to say: Sah’leh No Mo’barak! Happy New Year!

Mohammad Modarres is a 2019 TED Resident and the founder of Abe’s Meats, which produces the first Interfaith Meat that is Halal and Kosher at the same time. Learn more at AbesMeats.com.

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