Eid food
By Maryam Khalfan
Haress, a breakfast meal served on the first day of Eid
Eid al Adha is being celebrated around the Sultanate today with great enthusiasm and fervour. The day, which normally begins with the distribution of alms to the needy and poor, is followed by prayers, a typical Eid meal, family visits and the exchange of Eid greetings. But the festival of Eid al Adha is never complete without its share of traditional Eid specialties. This fare is as varied as the Sultanate's diverse population mix, which includes people from the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Far East, among other places.
Consequently, the traditional Eid fare is a blend of many flavours. Despite the fact that the delicacies are made of almost similar ingredients, the flavour depends on the method of preparation. On the first day of Eid, breakfast comprises a heavy meal of what is locally known as Arsiya and Harees, accompanied by coffee and varieties of sweets. Arsiya is a blend of rice, spices and meat/chicken, and Harees is a mash of wheat cereal sprinkled with chicken / meat and spices. The dishes are both cooked in
huge saucepans and shared by a number of families in a community. They are served with ghee and tarsha, a sweet sauce made of ingredients such as raisins, garlic, dates, spices and tamarind. Regardless of the time of the meals, it is a common feature that Omani coffee (kahwa) is served as part of Omani tradition. The rich and aromatic beverage, served in almost every home, is made of roasted coffee beans ground to a fine powdery consistency. The beverage is boiled in water with cardamom or
Traditional way of preparing barbecued meat on date palm stokes
Residents remove the shuwa from an underground pit oven
saffron (zaafaran) and preserved in a hot flask. It is served without sugar in tiny cups and is accompanied by dates or Omani halwa, a confection made of sugar, ghee and spices and is flavoured with sesame seeds, almonds and other dry nuts. Another principal treat served on the second or third day of Eid is shuwa, a delicacy that is made of meat and varieties of marinated dry spices. An entire goat, sheep or big pieces of beef are wrapped in banana leaves, packed in palm fronds or empty tins and then roasted in a special underground pit oven for over 48 hours.
The preparation of the delicacy involves the participation of a number of people in a community. It is served with steamed rice, ghee and lemon juice and sometimes with yoghurt. Other delicacies include barbecued meat and curried meats (mukalay), which is served with either plain steamed rice or fried rice (kabuli), khubz rakhal or a variety of breads that are eaten plain, unflavoured, or flavoured with dates, sesame and garlic.
Add a dash of henna to colour your celebrations
By Ziana Qaiser
Imagine an Eid without henna. On its own, it may not stand out against the sumptuous dishes or the extravagant new clothes, but for any young girl or woman celebrating Eid, the festival is simply incomplete with out a dash of the deep brown or black twirls on their hands and feet. Henna is tradition, and today this tradition is also rather trendy. It's time for ladies and young girls to revisit annual traditions and catch up with the latest trends to celebrate the festival. Beauty parlours all over Oman
are welcoming customers during what is generally regarded as one of the best business seasons of the year. Using henna to create dazzling body art is a new trend that is catching on at the local parlours as it gets more and more popular in the international fashion and beauty scene. During Eid, most of the young girls are going in for intricate or abstract henna patterns on their arms and wrists that make convenient temporary tattoos. Many parlours have rooms with comfortable sitting areas where the women can stretch out their arms and legs for henna application. The henna artists sit patiently for continuous hours, filling hands and feet with intricate designs to the tastes of their clients.
Patterns may range from the picture of a flower or a butterfly for little girls, to complex, geometrical shapes for the elders. Henna may be a popular cosmetic adornment for women at any given time, but at Eid, it is undoubtedly a special custom. Say Aziza and Amira, who work at Donia Al Araeis, a beauty parlour in Al Khuwair, "We have a variety of henna to choose from - Omani henna, Sudani henna, black, brown... ladies have their hands, feet adorned, or go for trendy henna body art. Last Eid our parlour was open until 4am and we anticipate the same this year too, as the rush has already started."
Oman Observer 22nd February 2002
