IS iT rEally a FESTiVal wiThOuT FOOd? pagE

IS IT rEally a FESiTVal wiThOuT FOOd?

Now we are well into the season of spring, the time for celebration has come around again. The combination of flowers blooming, the sun shining, and a cool breeze in the air is the perfect setting for some of the key religious and cultural festivals of the year.

Ramadan

Firstly, there is Ramadan which began at the start of April. This holy month is observed by Muslims worldwide and is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection and community. Obviously, with fasting a core part of Ramadan, the breaking of the fast; or Iftar; Suhoor, which is consumed early in the morning before the day begins; as well as the celebration of Eid al-Fitr, are opportunities to celebrate and cherish food and drink.

Muslims typically break their fast with dates, an excellent source of fibre, and their sweetness helps restore blood-sugar levels after many hours of fasting. Each family’s Iftar table will look different depending on their background and different regions they draw inspiration from. However, there are staples that adorn the tables of many homes over this holy month.

Suhoor usually has healthy options to prepare the body for the day ahead. Fresh fruit brightens up the room and is a great source of hydration for the body. Dishes with egg, bread and beans are common, as they are great sources of protein and carbohydrates to ensure you have enough energy stored. Iftar on the other hand is a chance to fill up and replenish on a good mix of meats, vegetables, soups – and finish off with delectable, traditional sweets such as Kellaj. This is a fried dough sweet filled with a creamy cheese and topped with sugar syrup and pistachios. Yes please...

Easter

Lastly, Easter. A festival many people partake in beyond religious ties, due to the commercialised nature of the holiday (which gave us the gift of mini eggs so who’s complaining?). Easter food favourites include traditional roast lamb and hot cross buns, to more widely enjoyed Lindt bunnies and crème eggs. There is religious symbolism here, with the lamb representing the sacrifice of Christ, and hot cross buns the cross on which Jesus died. All things Easter egg on the other hand came from pagan origins, representing new life and spring.

My favourite Easter food has to be hot cross buns, crisp and toasted with lashings of butter. But I have found an even better way to enjoy them in the form of a pudding for Easter Sunday that has now become something we enjoy every year. A hot cross bun and bread and butter pudding crossover! With chocolate of course...

Hot Cross Bun x Bread and Butter Pudding Recipe

Ingredients:

6 hot cross buns (any flavour) 30g butter 125g dark chocolate 1 vanilla bean (seeds) / or 3tsp of extract 400ml single cream 400 ml double cream Zest of one orange (optional) 3 eggs 170g sugar Icing sugar Method:

Slice each bun in half and generously butter each one, place the bottoms butter-side-up in an oven dish. Top with chopped dark chocolate and the buttered tops. Heat the cream in a saucepan with the vanilla and orange zest until simmering. Beat the eggs and sugar together until combined then add to the warm cream – stir continuously to prevent the egg scrambling. Pour the custard mixture into the dish over the buns and leave it for 30 minutes to soak in. Then bake at 170C for 45 minutes until the custard is just set. Dust with icing sugar. If you have been looking for a pudding worthy of following your Easter Lunch – definitely try this, you won’t regret it!

Passover

Passover; or Pesach; is next. Food is also central to the customs of this festival, with the Seder plate containing foods that symbolise the plight of their ancestors. The shank bone, the Pescah sacrifice; the egg, spring and the circle of life; bitter herbs, the bitterness of slavery; Charoset (sweet fruit paste), mortar; and green vegetables (parsley), hope and renewal.

As well as this symbolic plate, traditional dishes are served for a Passover meal, which again can vary according to different families and their traditions. Common meals are matzo ball soup, gefilte fish, beef brisket, chicken and potatoes.

Jewish people also typically do not eat leavened bread during Passover, and instead have an unleavened flatbread – Matzo or Matzah. The Matzah symbolises faith, it is a humble food made of only flour and water without being enriched, linking to the importance of humility in Judaism.

Words by: Beth Mendleton Design by: Isabel Brewster