This Saturday will mark the end of Ramadan, the month-long Muslim holiday in which participants abstain from eating or drinking anything from dawn to dusk as an act of worship, humility and reflection. At the end of the 30-day period, the fast is broken with a celebration known as Eid ul-Fitr, a day of prayer, family and, yes, feasting.
Though I have never practiced Islam, I did grow up in a large family that is one-half Muslim. Thus, while I've never fasted in deference to Ramadan, I have had the somewhat disingenuous pleasure of attending several Eid celebrations anyway. These were typically modest in celebration but amazing in their food offerings – braised lamb, tabouli, falafel, too many different kinds of pita, dates, baklava...
Fasting is, of course, a ritual in many religions. The Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur will begin this year on Sep. 28 and includes a 25-hour period of fasting. Catholics are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and abstain from meat during all the Fridays of Lent. And I'm sure there are hundreds of other examples.
So whether you're religious or not, do tell: what would you (or do you) eat after an extended period of fasting?
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Comments (25)
breads, lots and lots of breads!
First of all, this: braised lamb, tabouli, falafel, too many different kinds of pita, dates, baklava...
Is making me reconsider what I'm going to post on CHOW next week. Damn that sounds good. I may have to push that Pork Tenderolin Medalliions with Beurre Rouge sauce back another week. I'm feeling a modern interpretation of Traditional Persian inspiration coming on.
I take part in fasting fairly regularly. I used to do it as a regular fact of life (continuous fasting), when I was living a very ascetic, monastic life training in spiritual discipline and martial arts.
Now, when I do so, it's usually part of a body cleansing that I do periodically. When coming out of fasting, I take it easy. Fruits, whole grains, raw vegetables, nothing processed and generally pH neutral. Spirulina. Tofu. Then I build back up into a more "standard" food regimen.
Thank you, by the way, for getting back to me. I appreciate it. :)
Interesting! I don't think it's a good thing if you don't have any water from dawn to dusk.
*mouth water~~*
but i heard you should start with soup before you start eating anything. gotta get your body used to taking foods?
I'm not religoius at all. But I barely get enough to eat as it is. So. I'd have to say a huge wad of meat. >> I am a lover of meat.
Yeah! Ramadan!
Usually after a month of fasting, my mom wakes up really early to cook food for Eid. She makes these noodles in sweet milk with almonds that can be eaten as a breakfast dish, samosas, biryani, and some sort of dessert - I think it's gonna be ras malai this year.
@chow - You definitely have it right there. I gave up meat for 2 months. After that I went straight in to a feast. Your body feels very sluggish and heavy. Anything processed like sausage tasted very irony if I might add. Starting light is a good thing. Btw your food blogs are pretty good with great pictures.
I would drink ALOT and eat japanese/chinese cuisine.
@shunny@xanga - Oh definitely, I know what you mean. I actually went on this continuous fast for about 1.5 years, where I ate nothing more than unleavened bread and drank water, with some cheese for protein every day. When I started eating real food again, I was like whoa this tastes really odd.
After you haven't eaten meat for a while, meat in general just tastes weird. I almost think that's how a lot of people start out becoming vegetarians -- the meat just tastes funny after a while, and the appeal is lost.
And thank you btw, about my cooking blog -- I appreciate it :)
I'm just getting started up again, but I plan on being a regular contributor here soon :)
@imyourstargirl@xanga - Ohhh yes, THIS is good. There's a lot of Moroccan/ North African dishes that are similar to this that I LOVE, that I'm going to be introducing to IReallyLikeFood readers.
Steak!
Oh boy...Id start with a crisp garden salad and cheese rolls, like at red lobster!!
Then I would just mac on comfort food (vegan style ofcourse hehe) Mac n cheese, mashed potatoes, corn bread, collard greens w/ bacon, man Im feeling all hungry for southern food XD
Well I start off with something lighter, like dates and carrots..
but would DELVE into everything meaty and carb-licious.
And water
lots and lots of beautiful, precious, perfect water
That's a hard one. I'd probably eat Velveeta mac and cheese. It's superb. (:
Everything!?!
I'd get a sandwich. :]
Who the fuck would do that?!?!? :|
If I had to, little Debby pastries like Zebra Cakes and Cosmic Brownies.
oooh the braised lamb and tabouli and baklava sound delicious. tack on some biryani and i'm there!
@chow - Awesome! Can't wait to see those featured on here :)
@laurasaurusrex@xanga - ... o.0 It's a part of their religion, obviously they would do it...
I don't fast but if I did, I'd probably start off with something light like fruits and then maybe some type of a dessert, preferably a cake :) I don't eat meat and fish so I'd probably dive right into some sort of a pasta too lol.
everything haha
Normally, in my house we do dates in the morning, with a bowl of sheer khorma which is a sweet milk dish. Then we would go to prayer and basically have a huge feast. Usually it's biryani, haleem, baked chicken, pitas, sweets-bakhlava, fruits, gulab jamun much more! I LOVE EID, I love ramadan too! Especially the special foods my mom makes during it!
and then**
It would definitely have to include something with chocolate.
@shunny@xanga - that's funny b/c last lent I gave up meat and sweets and when Easter came the first thing I did was help my friend make peanut butter chocolate pies, but the thought of eating meat again made me feel sick so I havn't eaten it since.
So I guess Chocolate peanut butter pies are what I'd eat after a fast, how horribly unhealthy :)