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| Festival Foods Religious Influences, Middle East
The Middle East is historically the seat of civilization and is the birthplace of Judaism. The Muslims and Jews made their split when Abraham’s servant’s son, Ishmael, was supplanted by Isaac, a full blooded heir, and driven out of the clan to start a new nation in Egypt. Ishmael’s Abrahamic beliefs developed into Islam and eventually settled into the Middle East, Africa and Pakistan. 2000 years later, the success of a Jewish cult discovering the Christ and converting Gentiles spread like wildfire throughout the Middle East, Africa and Europe and was finally brought to the Americas. This is why the roots of Jewish holiday traditions can be continually traced in Muslim and Christian holiday celebrations up to the current time. Jewish holidays are universally celebrated where there is a Jewish population, largely found in the Middle East, Europe, Africa and the United States, in general, the same places Muslims are found. Jews, however, are found in practically every place in the world because of the Dispersion taking place first with the Babylonian exile and later after Nero burned Rome. There is evidence of early Jewish settlements in Arabia, Ethiopia and Abyssinia. Jewish foods and food preparation of countries they immigrated to were exchanged and altered, as they took their religious customs and feast days with them into Europe and the United States. Rosh Hashanah, means “beginning of the year,” and is a day of remembrance and of the sounding of the ram's horn to remember Isaac being saved from human sacrifice by a ram provided in his place. Festive challah is made with raisins and baked in a round. Rosh Hashanah is known as a High Holy Day because it starts Ten Penitential Days before Yom Kippur. (Kate's Global Kitchen 2002). (The Jewish Year 2002). Yom Kippur is the most important Jewish “holy” day or holiday, celebrated in September or October, and is set aside as a Day of Atonement for the sins of the people. Historically animals are sacrificed to transfer a year’s sin onto them and this is a somber time of repentance and self denial, imitated in the extended fasts of the Christian Lenten season or Islamic Ramadan. Today, it is more likely you will see a Jewish father swing a live hen over his children to transfer sin, rather than sacrifice it. Fasting is mandatory. (High Holy Days 2002). Passover falls in March or April and is the second biggest Jewish holiday. The commemoration of God’s or Yahweh’s miraculous rescue of the Jews from 400 years of slavery in Egypt is celebrated by a ritual “seder” or meal containing matzoh, bitter herbs, egg, salt and lamb. All the foods have significance in remembering the story and are eaten while it is recited. Matzoh represents the unleavened bread made in a hasty escape by the Israelites, as there was no time for bread to rise. Roasted lamb signifies God’s instruction to smear a lamb’s blood on doorposts so the plague of the Angel of Death would “pass over” the Jews and only harm their Egyptian captors. Special dessert foods found on this days are mandel bread, a sweet yeast breast sliced into long pieces and then twice-baked and charozeth, dried fruit and nut balls. A less important religious observance, Hanukkah, falls in December and marks the miracle of endless supply of oil in the temple lamp where Jewish rebels hid from an ethnic purge. It traditions include lamp lighting, gift giving and game playing like spinning the dredle and candies are often made in the shapes of dredels or Hanukkah candles, a candelabra holding seven candles called menorahs. A typical holiday meal consists of brisket, challah, a sweet yeast bread, latkes or potato pancakes and noodle kugel, a noodle pudding with raisins. |
Ramadan is the most important Muslim holiday and is celebrated for a full month during November and December. It marks the day that the Qur'an or Holy Scripture was given and is a time of reflection, devotion to God, and self-control. To this end, the main food is no food or perhaps only the “spiritual food” of meditating on the Holy Scriptures. This holiday traces its roots to Yom Kippur. Fasting is mandatory and is broken every sundown by a date followed by a light meal, soup or fruit. Mohammed first broke his fast with a date. Breaking fast by sharing meals with friends and neighbors is a common tradition. Eid al Fitr is the Feast of Breaking of the Fast and marks end of Ramadan. (Winchester). (Islamic Holidays and Observances). Eid ul Adha or Aid el Kebir is the second most important “holy day,“ and means the Festival of Sacrifice or Slaughter of the Lamb. It starts on Feb 23 and continues for four days, remembering the story of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice everything for God, including the life of his son Ishmael. This has a similar sacrifice story as Rosh Hashanah, except Isaac doesn‘t exist. In this tradition, an animal is slaughtered, usually a sheep or lamb and its meat given to family, friends and needy, as a special act of charity. Lamb dishes are common during this season for that reason. Islamic New Year falls on about March 15 and celebrants joyfully grow sprouts to symbolize birth of new year and pass out colored New Year Eggs, sugared almonds, nuts, and candy to friends and family. Although predominately Muslim, Christian holidays are celebrated in Lebanon and during Easter, or Eid il Fasih, foods like tabouleh, Turkish delight, and malamoul, a walnut stuffed cookie will be eaten. Christmas, or Eid il-Milad, means festival of birth, will host a table set with bakalava, a very sweet pastry made with philo, nuts, spices and honey. Baklava is eaten at most holidays in the Middle East and is an impressive example of the ancient Byzantine sweet tooth influencing today’s Mediterranean palates. - Elizabeth D'iAmico Copyright© 2003-2006 DrewMCA, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Related
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