Haleem a Ramadan food that crosses religious boundaries in India

[rug]

Ramadan just ended and with it the period of daylight fasting observed by most Muslims around the world. In India especially, the fast is often broken with a dish called haleem, a sort of meat porridge that manages to bridge the religious divide and appeal to all manners of Indians.



Crowds of Indians of all faiths crowd around the Pista House to buy some of the day's fresh haleem. (Photo by Joel Joseph.)

Published 20 August, 2012 01:16:00 PRI's The World

Across the world there are are foods we associate with religious holidays.

In the United States, it's probably Turkey on Thanksgiving. In London, you might eat hot cross buns for Easter, for example. In India, one of the most celebrated and popular religious dishes is a meat delicacy called haleem.

Although haleem is known as a dish for Ramadan, it is enjoyed by Hindu, Muslims and Christians alike.

At the Pista House haleem factory there are 12 enormous colanders of lamb meat, eight vats of clarified butter, called ghee, and a king-size bed sheet full of garlic blocking the path to the kitchen. Within minutes these materials are gathered put into production.

http://www.pri.org/stories/politics-society/religion/haleem-a-ramadan-food-that-crosses-religious-boundaries-in-india-11174.html

[MineralMan]

1. Haleem sounds good.

I've enjoyed the food at the end of Ramadan very much, both in Turkey, where I served in the USAF, and now in St. Paul, where I have several Muslim neighbors who are kind enough to invite my wife and I to participate in breaking the fast of Ramadan. Lamb and goat are common at those meals. Very tasty, and very nice to share their religious occasion.