When I left my Home in Egypt over 15 years ago, and moved to the USA, I tried my best not to look back...
Nostalgia makes it harder to Be Where You Are, the way holding onto an old love too closely makes it difficult to love, again.
Arabic music pulled at my heart strings, so I tried not to listen to it, for years...
But, it was more challenging with food, since my wife loves dishes from my part of the world; so I relented for her sake in the early years.
Now, that I’m more settled in my new home, USA, I’m not as afraid to look back and visit my old home, gastronomically 👨🏻🍳
For example, 4 days ago marked the beginning of Ramadan — the Muslim version of Lent in Christianity.
This holy month of fasting, to mark when the sacred Quran was revealed, is a festive occasion in the Islamic world.
Typically, after abstaining from food and drink from sunrise to sunset, those observing will break their fasts by sharing feasts with family and friends.
I do not have family in Florida and Covid makes it tricky to have too many people over, lately, although with more and more getting vaccinated, this past week or so I’ve had a few friends over for dinner.
Last night, with the green light from the missus, I happily created a typical Egyptian spread for Iftar whe time came to break my fast, at 7:45 pm.
As you can see this simple, delicious & nutritious dinner consisted of refried beans, fried eggs, stuffed grape leaves (aka dolma), naan (as a substitute for
pita bread) with pickles, onions, olives and tomatoes on the side, like back home, spiced with Thyme.
If I was in Egypt, the cheese I sprinkled would have most likely been Feta instead of cheddar — but this combo served it purpose and gave me a welcome taste of Home 🤗
Why not try it yourself?
Bil Hana wil Shiffa (Bon Appetit, in Arabic ;)