Iftar Recipes Ramadan Recipes 180 Iftar Food Recipes

About Ramadan

This holy month begins with Ramadan or Ramzan. It is said that the first verses of The Quran were revealed to Prophet Muhammad in 610 AD by an angel called Jibril during the month of Ramadan. This was the holy night called ‘Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Power).’ The legacy followed as the Prophet asked his followers to pass the month in prayers, fasting and other austerities as a mark of respect to Allah. I get a lot of mails from my Muslim friends from India and abroad who observe Ramadan and are looking for recipes that are simple and are fancy at the same time. So, this collection of Ramadan recipes for Iftar is just that. Primarily, it has great options in Indian cuisine, but also features some from Arabic and others from Middle Eastern cuisine as well.

Ramadan Trivia

‘Ramadan’ literally translates to ‘dryness’ or ‘scorching’ in Arabic. It is considered as the most pious month to attend Hajj. The most important and mandatory prayer is the one after iftar in the evening. 5 pillars of Islam – Sawm (fasting), Hajj (visiting Mecca at least once in lifetime), Zakat (charity), Salat (everyday prayer ritual, 5 times a day), Shahada (declaring belief in one God). The typical way to break the daily fast – 3 dates, water and ‘maghrib,’ the prayer. A buffet spread with typical Iftar snacks follows. A pinch of salt is used as an alternative to dates for breaking the fast. During the last 7 to 10 days of Ramadan, people, essentially men, stay in the mosque and carry out the rituals – praying, reading the Quran, etc. The food required to break the fast is brought from homes and shared between them. A fasting can be as long as of 22 hours! Typical in Polar Regions.

Ramadan Myths and Facts

Since Ramadan is considered as one of those festivals that involves rigorous fasting and discipline attached to the religion, many people have a misunderstanding about various aspects of this ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Here’s debunking some of those: Myth: The Ramadan date is constant every year. Fact: The Islamic solar calendar follows the phases of the moon. Hence, a different date every year based on the first crescent moon. Myth: Complete fasting for 30 days. Fact: Sawm (fasting) is only meant for day time, with suhoor (eating before sun rise) and iftar (eating after sun set). Myth: Fasting is mandatory for all. Fact: Except elders, children, pregnant women, diabetics and others with special medical needs.

Observing Ramadan

I have categorized this list into a complete Iftar food menu as well for suhoor. Take your pick and plan your meals accordingly. Iftar food menu changes according to the region as well as country. Typically in countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh there are some snacks recipes which are quite popular like samosa, pakoda, kabab, tikka. The snacks collection below has excellent recipes of these popular snacks. Most of my recipes are with step by step photo guide. So it is easy to follow and make them. Many of the snacks are easy to prepare and won’t take much of your time. The deep fried snacks can be easily baked or you can use an air fryer to cut down on the fat and calories. Make sure to pair the most apt combination according to your health requirements as well and eat nutritious, wholesome food during the fasting period. Keep yourself hydrated and consume lots of Fruit Juices and fresh fruits too. Here’s wishing Ramadan Kareem to all my Muslim friends and readers!