Doha: The holy month of Ramadan comes with an atmosphere of spirituality and faith, considering that it is the month of fasting that is meant to teach us patience and remind us of the value of all the things we have been blessed with, including the iftar table around which the family gathers and exchanges moments of gratitude.
During the holy month of Ramadan, there is a keenness to revive traditions through popular dishes from the Qatari cuisine that have been passed down through generations. These dishes include Thareed, Harees, Biryani, Machboos and Lugaimat, and they are part of the memory of Ramadan, carrying in their taste the warmth of the past.
In this regard, Buthaina Salman, who is specialized in cuisine cooking, told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that homes and restaurants are full of unique dishes that reflect the culture of the Qatari people during the holy month of Ramadan.
Thareed is a popular dish in Qatar and the Gulf countries in general, she said, indicating that it is a nutritious dish that has many nutritional benefits, in addition to essential vitamins and minerals when vegetables are added to it.
She further explained that Thareed is crispy flatbread with lamb or chicken stew or vegetables only, noting that it is prepared by crunching the flatbread into average sized crumbs, then adding them to chicken or lamb stew after which the meat is placed on the dish alongside the vegetables that were picked.
Thareed is one of the dishes that are usually present on the iftar table on a daily basis in Qatari homes during the holy month of Ramadan.
Buthaina noted that traditional dishes in Qatar are characterized by their distinct flavor, which makes them able to satisfy different tastes, in addition to the use of special spices, which gives each dish its own unique flavor.
For her part, Umm Fahad, who is the owner of a business for traditional dishes, said that Thareed and Harees top the list of the dishes on the iftar table during the month of Ramadan, noting that Qatari families ensure making them throughout the days of the holy month.
She listed other popular traditional Qatari dishes, such as the Machboos, Lugaimat, Khanfaroush, Madrouba, Sago, Balaleet, Margooga and Aseeda among other dishes.
Umm Fahad pointed out that the demand for traditional dishes doubles during the holy month of Ramadan.
She said that the harees is mainly made of wheat grains, to which pieces of meat or chicken are sometimes added, as requested, and a certain amount of ghee is also added.
She added that the Harees dish is a distinctive and main popular dish on home tables, especially in the holy month of Ramadan. It is one of the dishes that must be present on Ramadan tables at breakfast, in addition to the sweets that are not absent from the Qatari Ramadan table, such as “Luqaimat”, which is made from milk, cardamom, ghee, saffron and dough, and “Khanfaroush”, which is prepared from simple ingredients, the most important of which are flour and eggs, to which different flavours are added.
