22 Traditional Eid al-Fitr Foods and Sweets Enjoyed Around the Globe

Khushboo Malhotra

---

Eid Mubarak! Eid al-Fitr, also known as the ‘festival of breaking the fast,’ marks the end of Ramadan and unites Muslims across the world for joyous celebrations.

Eid al-Fitr is celebrated during the first three days of Shawwal. Shawwal takes place during the tenth month of the Islamic calendar and starts with the sighting of the new moon.

Muslims from different countries honour different Eid traditions. However, one thing is constant: the food is always opulent and extravagant in taste. This holiday is often referred to as Meethi (sweet) Eid due to the variety of desserts consumed.

Here are some signature mainstays served during Eid al-Fitr in case you’re planning to hold a sumptuous feast at home this year!

Sheer Khurma

For Eid al-Fitr, it’s typical to indulge in sumptuous Sheer Khurma — a wholesome milk pudding from South Asia made with vermicelli-esque fine noodles (sevaiyaan) and cooked in whole milk for a rich, and creamy flavour. It’s served both hot and cold topped with nuts, dates and sugar and scented with spices like cardamom, saffron and rose water.

Kimami Sewaiyan

A similar counterpart of sheer khurma, Kimami sewaiyaan is a decadent dessert to relish in the festivities of Eid. It is rich, fragrant, and utterly scrumptious packed with the goodness of lotus seeds, almonds, coconut, cashews and raisins. It is simmered with a luscious mix of whole milk, khoya, sugar and roasted vermicelli for a thick consistency.

Shahi Tukda

Shahi Tukda literally translates to “royal piece,” and one bite of this mouthwatering dessert will transport you to heaven. Wow your guests with these ghee-fried bread slices soaked in rose and cardamom-scented sugar syrup. Then top it off to perfection with fragrant,  sweetened, thickened milk called rabdi, sprinkled with nuts and saffron.

Baklava

Classic ‘Baklava’ remains a big part of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr. It is a crunchy crisp phyllo pastry made by filling the layers of dough with pistachios, walnuts or almonds, butter, syrup and honey. The whole thing is soaked in a fragrant sweet syrup made with honey, lemon and cinnamon, and sometimes topped with kaymak or ice cream.

Lapis Legit

Influenced by the country’s history of Dutch colonisation, Lapis Legit is a traditional Indonesian spice-flavoured aromatic multilayered cake where each layer is made from poured and broiled batter, before being assembled into the finished cake. It’s perhaps one of the most time-consuming Eid dishes but it’s definitely worth waiting for!

Kebabs

One cannot imagine the Eid party without smoky, succulent and delectable kebabs made with a spicy minced meat mixture grilled on skewers. From shami kebabs, chicken seekh kebabs with rumali roti, galouti kebab, and more, these juicy appetizers are a great crowd-pleaser.

However, many believe kebabs are strictly for meat-lovers which is not entirely true. Be it the lip-smacking grilled paneer kebab, dahi ke kebab,  or mushroom kebab.

Biryani

A quintessential Eid spread is incomplete without biryani, served together with raita, salad and pickles. The fragrant rice dish layered with succulent pieces of a whole spectrum of meats. From chicken and goat to lamb and mutton, biryani is hit across ages.

Mutton Korma

This robust mutton curry is swarming with aromatic masalas, cashew nut paste, rose water and saffron with succulent and spicy mutton pieces that pair very well with sheermal and bakarkhani.

Keema Samosas

These are deep-fried savoury pastry pockets filled with minced meat mixed with aromatic spices and are considered a popular appetizer on Eid.

Bolani

Eid celebrations cannot be imagined without serving some delicious and warm traditional Afghan bolanis. It’s a stuffed flatbread stuffed with leafy greens, lentils or minced meat and deep-fried for a thin crust, best served with yoghurt dipping sauces.

Butter Cookies

You might know these buttery delights as ghraybeh in the Middle East, naankhatai in South Asia, crescent-shaped sable cookies in North Africa, ma’amoul in Syria and Lebanon, kahk in Egypt, and klaicha in Iraq. While there are dozens of varieties and flavours, they all share a similar characteristic: a rich and utterly scrumptious buttery dough that instantly melts in your mouth.

Beef Rendang

The spicy coconut curry called beef rendang consists of beef slow-cooked in coconut milk and an aromatic blend of spices until the liquid reduces and the beef becomes fork-tender and caramelized. It’s enjoyed in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and parts of the Philippines.

You Xiang

This is a very important dish of the Hui Muslim community in China on the occasion of Eid. Often served with soup or rice, this is a simple fried, flour-based snack  and many rituals surround its preparation and consumption. For instance, only the elders of the family can make you Xiang and must recite the Tasmiyah, a sacred Islamic phrase, prior to frying the dough.

Aseeda

This Yemeni jelly dessert is enjoyed in Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Libya. There are many variations, but at its core aseeda is a ball of cooked wheat flour dough with a soft mouthfeel somewhere between a porridge and a dumpling. It’s made from wheat and honey and drizzled in date syrup, and it’s regularly served boiling hot and eaten fast!

Nihari

Nihari is a rich, slow-cooked meat stew flavoured with an array of soothing spices, kewda water and thickened with atta, or Pakistani & Indian-style durum whole wheat flour, containing a shank cut of beef, lamb and mutton, or goat meat, as well as chicken and bone marrow.

Briouat

Briouat is basically a sweet samosa from Morocco and is consumed during Eid in the Arab Gulf where it’s known as Sambusa Hilwa. The triangular pockets are stuffed with pears and apples or a melange of dry fruits and nuts soaked in sweet syrup with sweet cream, similar to a cannoli.

Vegetarian Delicacies

While this festival has people on their toes preparing meaty delicacies for a lavish feast, there are some vegetarian friends you’d love to host too. If you haven’t thought of what to prepare, we have got you covered.

Dahi Vada

With husked urad dal-based deep-fried lentil balls soaked in water freshly whipped yoghurt mixed with spices and tangy chaat masala, dahi vada makes a terrific first course for Eid for vegetarian food aficionados. Garnish it with coriander, chilli powder, shredded coconut,thinly sliced fresh ginger, and tamarind chutney!

Baghāre Baingan

Nawabi delicacy from Hyderabad, India, Baghāre Baingan is a vegan and gluten-free, tasty curry made with small aubergines in a medley of coconut, roasted peanuts, curry leaves, sesame seeds, and spices. It is best served as a side dish with Biryani, jeera rice, pulao or parathas to impress your guests on this special day.

Zarda Pulao

Whether you call it Zarda Pulao or Meethe Chawal, one thing remains the same: this dish is a must-have on Eid. It’s A bright and sunny fragrant, sweet rice made with basmati toasted nuts, dry fruits, sugar, saffron, rose water, raisins, ghee, cloves, and green cardamom powder.

 

****************

While savouring desserts is central to Eid, exploring cultures through them makes it all the sweeter. Enjoy biting into the hidden gems of Eid treats!

---

Featured image courtesy of  RODNAE Productions on Pexels. Image license found here. No changes have been made to this image.