Hoşgeldiniz Ramadan

During the last ten or so days of this month I have so far seen many varying emotions of people out in this huge village of Istanbul.

Every evening at around 6.30pm as I leave my office to venture on to the street, I see people anxiously waiting in bumper to bumper traffic that is the daily curse of this area of Istanbul; known as Maslak. In the last week or so I have seen people drive up the wrong side of the road in order to try and get out of a traffic jam only to create another on the other side of the road with on coming traffic. I have seen people bumped from their scooters by careless drivers, pedestrians (including my good self) almost swiped or hit by a slow crawling manual vehicle trying to accelerate bit by bit up the hill; men and women curse and gesture to one another because of their driving skills, or lack thereof; people fighting over a taxi and taxi drivers refusing to drive people because they don't want to be stuck in the evening traffic! It is a stressful time.

Such is the Holy month of Ramadan.

During this month many Muslim's undertake one of the five pillars of Islam; fasting. This month is considered the most holy of the Islamic calendar. Those who choose to fast are expected to refrain from eating and drinking, among other things, from sunrise to sunset; people are expected to have purity of mind and actions and the act of fasting is said to redirect the heart away from worldly activities, with the purpose being to cleanse the inner soul and free it from harm.

Therefore, those who have kept their fast only have one thing on their starving minds; İftar- the evening meal to break their fast. İftar takes place, these days, around 7.35pm, and becomes earlier as the days move through the month. People rush home from their jobs to cook the evening meal and have it ready on the table in time. No city has the same timing when it comes to breaking the fast as the timing is based on the sun and its movement. People listen for the ezan, or the evening call to prayer, which in the evening also signifies the correct timing for breaking the fast.

In the last week we have had some delicious meals of fish (fried, but oh so tasty!), köfte, sauteed lamb, lots of lentil soup, and tasty salads and of course the traditional Ramazan pide which is made specially in this month as well as buying lots of huge fresh dates from the market at Eminönü, and also the specialty dessert of Güllaç, a milky pastry dessert served with fresh pomegranate pieces and chopped pistachio nuts. It is a light and tasty dessert that doesn't make you feel overloaded after a meal.

The word 'iftar' in the dictionary is directly translated as "the breaking of the Ramadan fast at sunset", and is purely for those who are fasting during this month. People still participate in having "iftar" even though they haven't fasted a day in the month and people take time to catch up with friends and family for meals during this time.

Surprisingly, studies have shown that some populations actually gain weight during this month which is not surprising given the amount eaten in the evening and then throughout the night when the body is at its least active.

In any event, I really enjoy this month. Food is the focus of the day and cooking it together with family and friends and sharing the meal together is the highlight and something so looked forward to by those who have undertaken the fast.