by A. LaBan
For more than one billion Muslims throughout the world, Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, is projected to begin on the evening of December 8 with the sighting of the new moon. Ramadan is one of the holiest times of the year for Muslims, and is marked by a month-long fast from sunrise to sunset each day.
The month of Ramadan is believed to be the time when the Holy Quran was "sent down from heaven, a guidance unto men, a declaration of direction and a means of Salvation." During Ramadan, Muslims are supposed to concentrate on faith and spend less time on everyday concerns, to spend their days in worship and concentration. To facilitate concentration on the spiritual, Muslims refrain from a number of worldly distractions during the daylight hours of the month and abstain from daytime sex, smoking, eating and drinking.
According to the Quran, one may eat and drink at any time during the night "until you can plainly distinguish a white thread from a black thread by the daylight; then keep the fast until the night." Muslims view fasting, or Sawm, as delivering many benefits. The lack of preoccupation with the satisfaction of bodily appetites during the day helps the faster learn self-control. Fasting is also a way to develop sympathy for the hunger of the less fortunate and teaches thankfulness and appreciation for God's bounty. Finally, fasting is also viewed as beneficial to health and providing a break in the cycle of rigid habits or overindulgence. Notes Max Pars, proprietor of Pars Cove, which specializes in Persian food, "Fasting is very good. I wish I could do it one day a week all year, but my job doesn't allow it."
Muslims typically begin each day during Ramadan in the predawn with a pre-fast meal called suhoor, and then break their fast after sunset with the post-fast meal, called iftar. Iftar usually commences with the nibbling of dates, following the custom of the Prophet Mohammed, and then a sunset prayer followed by dinner, a social affair where family and friends are invited to share the meal. In the evening after iftar, it's customary for Muslims to go out and visit friends.
The diligence of the observant is rewarded at the end of Ramadan with a multi-day feast of the Breaking of the Fast, called Eid Al-Fitr. This celebration is marked by family reunions and is a favorite holiday of children, who receive new clothing and gifts. Sultan's Palace, an ornate Northwest Side restaurant boasting imported, authentic clay ovens, is cited by many of our local cab drivers as the best Pakistani eatery in the city. Far from being unfamiliar, what many of us think of as "Indian" food, tandoori chicken and numerous, beef and lamb curry dishes, is simply Northern Indian Mughul cuisine indigenous to the region that became Pakistan in the British division of India's Muslim north from the Hindu south. Sultan's Palace will be hosting its third annual Ramadan celebration this year, with a nightly free holiday buffet. Over a pre-Ramadan lunch, owner Shaukat Sindhu describes his restaurant's Ramadan offerings as a "spread" and lists a few of the options. "Traditionally, the iftar is supposed to be a lot of appetizers. We serve dates, fruit chaat, which is like a fruit cocktail, and vegetable samosas and pakoras. We also have lots of drinks, including fruit juices, doodh soda—a mixture of 7-Up and milk—and rooh afza, a traditional drink that's red and sweet and tastes like fruit punch. We offer enough for dinner," he continues, "but patrons often come in and sample a couple of the free appetizers and then move on to our regular menu for more."
Although a secular country, Turkey is predominantly Muslim, and some of the best Turkish food around for breaking the Ramadan fast can be sampled at A La Turka. Grab one of the restaurant's ornate floor cushions and sit down to enjoy a number of traditional and special holiday appetizers, including one called Ramadan pita.
A pillow can also be pulled up for the holiday at Andersonville's Kan Zaman, known for its Middle Eastern/Mediterranean menu. The restaurant will be serving special fare like mansef, an imported meat and yogurt dish, throughout Ramadan, and is planning to feature performances by belly dancers at the end of the fast period, during the celebration of Eid Al-Fitr. However you choose to enjoy the upcoming holiday season, best wishes from the lands of hot sands and the blazing sun seem appropriate: Kullu am wa antum bi-khair (May you be well throughout the year).
A La Turka, 3314 North Lincoln, (773)935-6101
Kan Zaman, 5204 North Clark, (773)506-0191
Pars Cove, 435 West Diversey, (773)549-1515
Sultanís Palace, 6345 North Western, (773)764-8400
copyright 1999 New City Communications, Inc.