Meals in Dubai During Ramadan
Make a date with in the United Arab Emirates during the Muslim holy month
Ramadan is associated with fasting but is in fact a wonderful opportunity to try traditional dishes in Muslim countries like the United Arab Emirates
The holy month of Ramadan is well underway in Muslim countries all over the world. Many people think Ramadan is a time to avoid travel to a Muslim nation, but in fact, it’s a great time to experience local culture and food, particularly in places like Dubai, the most liberal of the United Arab Emirates.
While Ramadan is associated with fasting (and may, you think, have no place in a culinary travel column), it’s actually a time for trying traditional dishes when the fast is broken, after sunset. The Iftar meal, as the first indulgence after sundown is known, is a celebratory occasion, featuring a mouth-watering array of regional specialities and dates, which are a reminder that this was the fruit with which the Prophet Mohammad chose to break his own fast. This was actually the perfect food; dried dates are packed with sugar, vitamins and minerals and will quickly bring low blood sugar back to normal levels.
After dark, there’s an air of festivity during Ramadan. Shops and malls stay open longer, and locals gather in the special Ramadan tents put up for the occasion to feast and mingle with the sheikhs, the rulers of the Emirate. Traditional music is played in all the hotels and shisha pipes with apple and mint tobacco are smoked.
Typical Ramadan dishes in Dubai include Harees (cubes of meat with cracked wheat); Machboos (slow-cooked lamb or chicken with spices, dried lemon, rice and onion); Balaleet (a fine egg pasta with cinammon and sugar, eaten for breakfast) and Mohalla (flat bread eaten with honey and date syrup). For dessert, you’ll see Lukaimat (dough balls with date syrup); Asseada (made from semolina and saffron) and Batheeth (freshly ripened dates served with a sauce).
Non-Muslims should avoid eating, drinking, smoking or chewing gum in public during Ramadan. Hotel restaurants will be open, serving those who are not fasting in special areas, and alcohol will be served in hotel bars and clubs after 7pm. So don’t put off your visit, whether it’s this year or next; provided you show respect to the local culture, you will be made most welcome.
The copyright of the article Meals in Dubai During Ramadan in Culinary Travel is owned by Sue Bryant. Permission to republish Meals in Dubai During Ramadan must be granted by the author in writing.
