FROM DUBAI, SUKAINA RAJABALI, AUTHOR OF THE GORGEOUS FOOD BLOG ‘SIPS AND SPOONFULS’, SHARES HOW HER FAMILY ENJOYS CELEBRATING THE HOLIDAY EID AL ADHA THROUGH THE PREPARATION OF DELICIOUS TREATS TO SHARE WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
BY
Sukaina Rajabali
This year I’m inviting you into my home to celebrate Eid al Adha with my family. Come take a peek into my kitchen as we prepare sweet treats eaten during this festival. First I’m baking crunchy pistachio cookies with pistachio butter cream, a melt in your mouth perfection. Then I’m preparing truffles with a difference, sweetened vermicelli paired with chopped almonds and pistachios. Add some fluffy coconut to the mix and you have an eclectic truffle, delicious! Eid Mubarak: “May you enjoy a blessed festival.” Eid al Adha is an important Muslim holiday celebrated worldwide to commemorate Abraham’s devotion to God and his willingness to sacrifice his own son. Just before the sacrifice could take place Abraham’s son was spared when God intervened, replacing Ishmael with a ram. Each year millions of Muslims gather, representing different cultures and races, to celebrate this holiday which culminates a three-day pilgrimage to Mecca that is required of all Muslims at least once in their lifetime. All dress in white to represent human equality. On this Eid (or Festival), a lamb is sacrificed and its meat is divided into three parts: One share is retained by the family, another third is
given to friends, relatives and neighbors, and the final third is given to the poor and needy. These acts are meant to commemorate the obedience of Abraham and express charity, an important pillar of the Islam faith. Even if a Muslim is not in Mecca carrying out the pilgrimage, the holiday and festivities are still celebrated around the world. People adorn their finest clothes on this day and women decorate their hands with exotic henna designs. The day begins with special prayers carried out at mosques before families and friends gather to exchange greetings and gifts. Food is an important part of any festival, a celebration around which families bond; it drives conversation and camaraderie, helping to create unforgettable memories. Food brings families together and lunch menus on this day generally consist of biryani and sweet vermicelli, jalebis and samosas. Sweet bites such as cookies, chocolate bars and cakes are also prepared as nibbles for visiting relatives. And Eid isn’t the same without presents! Children enthusiastically tear through the wrapping paper to get to their treasures, with the adults counting their cash to give away.
Food is an important part of any celebra tion!
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