SUNDAY 29 JUNE 2014 ITH the advent of the breaking the fast or after Taraaweeh prayer. holy month of Ramadan in Qatar, people express their delight by putting TRADITIONAL QATARI FOOD up lanterns and decora- tions. Children play with Qatari citizens prepare for Ramadan by buy- Wtheir toys in the streets; writers and journal- ing various traditional food. This is noticed a ists devote their writings to religious matters; few days before Ramadan, when supermarkets preachers deliver speeches and sermons and and malls are crowded with shoppers. There is the media presents TV programmes focusing an increasing demand for certain food items on Islamic discourses and lectures. motivated by the special Ramadan offers and During Ramadan, the working hours are attractive discounts on the prices of all goods reduced, which makes the streets, shopping in general, and Ramadan staples in particular. malls, markets and entertainment centres Among the most famous dishes that the quite crowded. Qatari women purchase and Qatari people eat is Al-Harees, which is store special spices for this month, prepare essential fare on their table in Ramadan. milk and rice, and produce clarified butter It consists from mashed wheat mixed with from the milk of cows and sheep, which meat, clarified butter and ground cinnamon. they distribute to their friends, family and Another essential item on the menu in neighbours. Ramadan is Ath-Thareed, which consists of Life in Qatar has two dimensions during the tiny pieces of bread with gravy poured over blessed month of Ramadan: The first is the it. In addition to Al-Harees and Ath-Thareed, life of the foreign residents, as Qatar lodges Al-Majboos is also considered among the millions of people from various Arab and most popular traditional dishes, which are Muslim countries. These residents try to repli- always present on the tables during Ramadan. cate the distinctive customs and traditions of There are many types of Qatari sweets their homeland in the month of Ramadan. The that are served in Ramadan. Among these is other aspect is the life led by Qatari citizens, Al-Muhallabiyyah, which consists of rice and who take great care to revive their age-old milk topped with saffron and cardamom. They traditions and customs. also eat Al-Madhroobah and Al-Luqaymaat Qatari families renew and strengthen their (sweet dumplings). ties this month, due to the frequent meetings Immediately after the Taraaweeh prayer, and visits among their relatives and friends. the men meet together for the midnight meal These mutual visits help in strengthening the called Al-Ghibqah. After that, they spend bonds of kinship between family members — the evening in friendly conversation over which is an important Islamic virtue — as they Ramadan sweets. Women also meet after meet each other nearly every day to break the Taraaweeh for leisurely soirees lasting a few fast collectively, and during the family gath- hours. During Al-Ghibqah, special dishes are erings after the Taraaweeh prayer (voluntary served like Al-Mehammar, which is a dish of night prayer). fried fish and rice cooked with sugar, in addi- Strengthening Another distinguishing feature of Ramadan tion to Al-Hareesah and Al-Madhroobah. in Qatar is the sound of cannons being fired During the month of Ramadan, citizens to indicate the time for breaking the fast. and residents both hasten to give charity to However, the profession of Al Musahhir (the the poor and needy people to get closer to man who used to wake up people to eat Allah The Almighty. Besides, when the time Suhoor before daybreak) has completely of Iftar approaches, a variety of snacks are vanished. distributed among the fasting people who are bonds of kinship Masjids usually witness an overwhelmingly unable to reach their homes in time to break large number of worshippers and religious their fast. discourses are held either before the time of WWW.ISLAMWEB.NET SUNDAY 29 JUNE 2014 III HARQ Village and Spa pudding with pistachio and almonds. meat, and mouth-watering selections celebrates the Holy As dusk falls each evening, guests of hot dishes including whole Ouzzi Month of Ramadan with with a sweet tooth will be delighted lamb. A selection of puddings, tarts, festivities that prom- with the dessert buffet that Al Jalsa chocolates and Arabic sweets are sure ises to delight everyone. offers. Offering a myriad of Arabic to delight. Evening From the majestic Seher treats and fine tea blends by Tchaba Al Liwan Restaurant: 12:30pm to SAl Sharq tent and extravagant buf- including the Al Meerat Al Sharq tea. 4pm. QR295 per person fet spreads to luxurious room stays, CORPORATE hosts wishing to festivities at the hotel will provide an uphold the Arabic traditions of hos- EID BUFFET FOR KIDS authentic Arabian experience. pitality may hold private Iftar events Qatar Airways is proud to be named with bespoke menus served in the Children will love the Eid kids’ delights at the Official Airline Sponsor of the elegant atmosphere of the Al Sonbok buffet at Al Sonbok. All their favour- exquisitely decorated tents during the ballroom. ite dishes will be available with face month-long festivities at Al Dasha, painting too. Sharq Village and Spa’s ballroom. EID AL FITR IN STYLE Launching for the sixth time; this SHISHA DIWAN Sharq Village year will be the aptly named Seher The Eid is always an ideal oppor- Al Sharq Ramadan tent in Al Dasha tunity to celebrate with family and The Shisha Diwan Al Qareb ballroom. Comfortably accommodat- friends the completion of a month offers an exclusive venue to those ing up to 200 guests seated in tra- of blessings and joy. Sharq Village who like to gather with friends ditional majlis settings, guests may and Spa allows guests to relax and with wide variety of Shisha flavours and Spa look forward to a buffet spread like escape while being attended to by the prepared at your table to entertain no-other. dedicated service professionals of the you and your friends during a great This feast for the senses includes resort. gathering. carving stations and over 45 differ- An extravagant Eid buffet is served Al Qareb 2: June 1 to September ent dishes from cuisines of the region in our Ramadan Tent during the first 30, 2014 from 6pm to 2am. Entry is as well as a varied array of fresh three days of Eid Al Fitr. Executive free. QR275 per person throughout salads and tempting desserts, live Chef Hassan Abdallah and his team the holy month of Ramadan entertainment by oriental musicians will showcase a selection of oriental For bookings, please contact (974) coming from Morocco – Al Awtar delicacies including over 35 mezze, 4425 6666, email rc.dohsq.reserva- Al Dahabiya. Shisha aficionados may freshly baked breads, crisp salads, [email protected] or visit www. also look forward to savouring over 25 a sushi station, grilled seafood and ritzcarlton.com/sharqvillage tobacco varieties. Al Dasha Ballroom: 8:30pm to 2am. QR275 per person IFTAR BUFFET AT AL LIWAN: Chef Ali Hadla showcases exquisitely prepared traditional hot and cold dishes including freshly made breads together with mezze, classic salads, a live cooking station, the peren- nial favourite Ouzzi and Shawarma along with grilled meats, seafood and desserts. Sunset to 10pm QR 215 per person PERSIAN cuisine aficionados can look forward to Meigoo Kabab from the charcoal grill with tiger prawns and butter saffron or Khoresht – E Fesenjan from the simmered clay pot with chicken breast, walnuts and pomegranate sauce. To round off chef Moghadam’s culi- nary creations, guests may sample desserts such as Falude-Ye Shirazi, frozen vermicelli sorbet with rose water or Shole Zard, saffron rice IV SUNDAY 29 JUNE 2014 A strategy to combat thirst and stay away from foods with high salin- small amounts of drinks with high sugar ity, such as salted fish and pickles. It is concentration. preferable to replace the salt with drops 2. Drinking plenty of water at the of lemon in salad as they adjust the taste Suhoor meal protects from thirst dur- just as well. ing the fast. SPICES AND SEASONINGS: Meals FACT: The kidneys expel the extra and foods containing a large proportion water which is not needed by the body of spices and condiments require drink- after a few hours, leading to disturbance ing large quantities of water following of the fasting person during sleep because ingestion. That is because these foods he needs to go to the bathroom. This absorb water as they are taken, from causes fatigue during the day. the pharynx mouth and stomach caus- 3. Drinking very cold or iced water at ing dryness in the body, and thus the the start of the Iftar quenches thirst. feeling of thirst. So, the fasting person FACT: Drinking iced water at the should avoid eating spicy foods which beginning of the Iftar severely affects contain a lot of seasoning, especially in the stomach, reducing the efficiency of the Suhoor meal. digestion and leading to the constric- STIMULANTS: It is recommended tion of the capillaries thus causing some that the fasting person reduces the digestive disorders. Therefore, the water amount of stimulants like tea and cof- temperature should be average or only fee because they contain caffeine, which mildly cool, and the fasting person should increases the activity of the kidneys drink it slowly, not all at once. and enhances its role in the excretion 4. Drinking water while eating food of urine. Thus, stimulants increase the provides a greater opportunity for good process of losing water from the body. digestion. It should also be noted that tea and cof- FACT: Drinking water while eating fee cannot be considered alternatives to disrupts the flow of saliva on the food water; because their hot nature does not such that the food does not mix well with allow the fasting person to drink a large the saliva in the mouth, and thus it is amount of them.