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| Some DYI decoration for Ramadan. |
Traditionally, in the city where I come from (Algies) Ramadan table is full of different kinds of food. The dishes usually consist of, but not limited to:
Starters
- Shorba frik (a runny tomato based soup with grounded wheat or vermicelli) or other vegetable soup.
- Manchons with cheese. Stuffed Coca with spinach, minced meat, capsicum, cheese, mortadella or even stuffed tourte ..etc
- Bourek: spring rolls stuffed with minced meat, chicken, mashed potatoes and cheese, or bechamel and seafood.
- Chek-Chooka: fried or grilled specific vegetables mixed and served in olive oil. Or, eggs and tomato mix.
- Berber bread, such as, Matlooa, Kesra, grilled on a Tajin/ Tawa, Khobz eddar, made with green olives or black seeds or sometimes French bread (baguettes)
- Some people may add a side dish such as, Hmis (mashed capsicum & tomatoes) to add flavour and appetit.
The main course
which usually is any Algerian traditional dish, for example:
Mashed potatoes (or sweet potato) with grilled chickensteak and sauteed vegetables.
Shtit'ha / Jwaz (stew):
Shtit'ha batata (potato stew),
Shtit'ha Djej (chicken + chickpeas stew),
Mtouwem (meatballs marinated in garlic and cooked into a stew),
Jwaz Besbas (fennel stew/broth).
Jwaz Khorshef. (Cardons stew/broth)
Tbikha (a broth consisting of artichokes, broad beans and peas)
Tajin Zitoun (olive Tajin) Tajin felfel (stuffed pepper, Tajin kbab (chips soaked in chicken stock to which cinnamon, onions, parsley and other ingredients are added),
Vol au vent ( a sort of pastry to which mushrooms, green olives and chicken sauce is added
shepherd's pies.
vegetables or pasta au gratin.
shakhshoukha ( grilled dough sheets, shredded and place on the dish then scooped with read chicken or meat runny sauce)
Trida (little dough squares, steamed, to which added chicken chicken or meat broth)
Couscous isn't prepare a lot for Iftar (breakfast at dusk) . Most people would prefer to have it in Suhoor (dawn meal)
Berkoukes is also not very popular.
Rice with meat, fish or vegetables.
Legumes, such as, lentil, beans, split peas, are also consumed in Ramadan, but not as much as the other months. unless use blended to make soup. which is what I mostly do.
Grains and seeds are also highly recommended and consumed in Ramadan.
Fish is cosumed according to the families preferences. some families may freak out if they hear fish, for them fish isn't something one would eat in Ramadan.. "too heavy" they say. whereas other families eat it more than usual in forms of soup, grilled, roasted or fried.
Salad is a must in most tables.
Sandwiches or burgers are out of the question, putting them as a main dish during Ramadan is considered unacceptable in most families.
Desserts
consist of Qelb ellouz and Zlabiya mainly. Beryoosh, Qtayef, Lham Lahlou, Besboussa, are also part of the crew.
Drinks:
Most tables in Algiers, consist of the following drinks:
Silicto - very similar to coke but with a better after taste, less fizzy (my personal taste)
Sherbet: not fizzy limonade, most Algerians in the city would die for it.
Green or red Syrup that you dilute with mineral or sparking water.
Juice.
My Table this year..
This Ramadan I decided to break the rules. This rebellious act might have cost me severe damages in my reputation as a married lady had I been living in Algeria *exaggeration*. So, not being close to my family, family and in law and relatives, I took the liberty to experiment what it feels like to have my own table detached from any traditional or cultural boundaries. I have to say it wasn't bad at all! it actually felt better!
I decided to have a normal table, with a single dish, probably a side dish from time to time but not every single day, and normal deserts, not the typical Algerian Ramadan-only desserts.
I did make a few traditional dishes and sweets, because my husband missed them very much, but it wasn't an everyday thing as they are back home.
My table during this Ramadan (Alhamdoulillah) consisted of little food and a reasonable amount of drinks.
Upon the call to prayer at dusk, we break our fast with water or dates - in order to revive the teachings of the prophet Muhamed in-sha'a- llah.
After prayer, we eat one single dish, for example:
legume or vegetable soup with Kesra.
or
potatoes omelet with olive paste.
or
Burgers
or
Stuffed pasteries, mini pizzas, salad and Turkey bacon.
or
Bourek as a main course, with a little vegetable broth as a side dish.
or
Pasta with kidney beans, olives, minced meat and white cream.
or
or
or
milk and cereal or milk with rolls, croissants and lemon jam.
Drinks: my other half and I don't eat much fruit, but we love juice. So, we would drink water and fruit+vegetable juice, or a non-alcoholic pomegranate beer. Fizzy drinks are not allowed.
Dessert: the craving for sweet things multiplies in Ramadan, our body needs a bit or sugar, but we ought to be careful and consume sugar moderately. Everyday, we try to have one kind of dessert only, unlike the typical dessert back home. so we would have either:
lQeemat: little fried dough balls dipped in honey (dates honey called: Debs)
or
home-made Qelb Ellouz
or
a couple of chocolate bars.
or
grapes
or
2 pieces of chocolate or red velvet cake.
or
home-made Flan.
I also opted for sharing food and eating from one plate instead of separate plates for each individual.
10 reasons why this year's Ramadan table has been beneficial Alhamdoulillah:
- It makes you feel slightly happier to know that you didn't eat more than what a family with an average-salary would afford to eat.
- No waste of food at all.
- No wasted time in cooking for hours, just about time to cook one meal for a small number of people.
- Reasonable budget, you buy what you need only. As a result, you control your cravings and tame your gluttony.
- It's a constant reminder on how reasonably we should eat, shop produce, and store the leftover wisely.
- It helps the stomach receive the quantity and quality of food it needs by not hogging and hoovering food like ..... umm... hungry zombies? if you get what I mean.
- Sharing food and eating from the same plate, makes one go easy, and increases the feeling of consideration towards others whom we share our food with. Besides, the blessing increases- Alhamdoulillah.
- Cooking and eating a regular meal opens possibilities for you to enjoy the other virtues of Ramadan that go far beyond food. You'd have time to focus on and do other acts of worship, sort out your house and files, think about your relationship with people, ask for forgiveness from those you've offended, forgive those who've wronged you, try to amend broken family ties, etc.
- You feel much less burnt out and less stressed out about keeping on schedule and catching up with things. You have more time to run other errands or take a nap.
- Because you simply don't always have to stick to culture and traditions and submit to family and peer pressure, it's good to break the routine and try new things.
Have a blessed Ramadan and may you witness the next.
Bye now. xx
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