Over the last decade or so, Ramzan in Hyderabad has become synonymous with culinary bliss, from the elaborate menus in restaurants to the whiff of the tempering of street food in the lanes of the Old City and the crowded avenues of Toli Chowki. But what presents a stark contrast to the food clamour in the holy month is the iftar dastarkhwan across households which has largely remained a simple affair.
“The iftar dastar is quite simple. Breaking the fast with dates is a sunnat (tradition) of Prophet Muhammad. There are sliced fruits or fruit chat, daal, and dahi vaday. There may be an extra dish or two, just for the kids,” says Ruqiua Siddiqui, who runs a cloud kitchen in her name.
Given that the food is relatively lighter, it is easy on the stomach after a long day of fasting. Her family tends to give dinner a miss, which makes it easier to pray taraweeh. “In case we are hungry after taraweeh, a quick, light snack before bedtime will do,” she says.
Moin Pasha, an octogenarian, recalls that in the 1950s too, the iftar dastar was simple. “A few dishes have changed, though. There was kachaalu, made using ripe guavas, pepper, salt, sugar and lemon. We had falooda also. There were seasonal fruits and dahey badey, made of bhajiyas. Back then there was no explosion of restaurants, so the choices were limited. People ate at home and there was emphasis on observing Ramzan in letter and spirit,” she says, adding that the 1950s was a time when the city was reeling from the repercussions of ‘Police Action’, popularly known as Operation Polo.
Khatija Unnisa, a resident of Bahadurpura, underscores that there are hundreds of homes where an iftar meal consists of only dates and bananas. “Not all families can have five or six items on the iftar dastar. Having haleem several times a month is simply not possible for them. Secondly, we were taught from the beginning that Ramzan is a month of patience and simplicity. This teaching has remained with us and is the reason why iftar in our house is a simple affair,” she says.
Syed Arshad, an educationalist, now in his 70s, says he remembers having broken the fast with only two types of dates when he was younger. “It is all about choice and access. Access to different types of things, including food was limited. Now the options are almost limitless,” he says.
