Fasting for Ramadan

Well it’s that time of year again – Ramadan. Last year, I had just arrived during about the 3rd week of fasting and didn’t really know what exactlywas going on. But this year, I really wanted to try fasting if not for the whole month then at least a couple of days. Most of the community is Muslim where I am and I felt like it would be a good experience and opportunity to better understand and be a part of my community. I asked friends here about the exact times and other details in preparation for fasting. Then as themonth of July finished, I waited for the first day. According to the projected Muslim calendar, the first day was to be August 1. However, about midnight July 31, I got a couple calls from friends waking me up to inform me that fasting would actually start that morning. So Sunday I got up at 4am to eat breakfast then didn’t eat or drink again until the 6:30pm prayer. (I would later find out that actually some people started on Sunday while others started Monday – either day would have been fine. It’s based on the moon so some say they saw the moon Sunday while others say Monday).

Today makes almost a week now of fasting and I hope and plan to keep going the whole month. Days 2 and 3 were kind of difficult but now I am more ‘adapted’ as people say here and it isn’t too bad although I do really have to be conscious of not eating the whole day otherwise without even thinking I pick up a cup of water or start to grab something to snack on.

As another part of integrating during this time, I’ve been working on trying to cook traditional foods. So first, not really something I cook, but many people break fast by eating dates so I try to make sure that I eat a couple of dates first before eating or drinking anything else. Then I usually eat bouille and gossay (like beignets). The bouille I make and am still kind of trying to perfect and then I buy the gossay but hopefully will learn how to make that too in the near future.

Dates from Saudi Arabia that a friend gave me

Women selling food by my house for 'breaking' fast

So here is one way to make bouille (there are many different variations this is just the particular one I know best).

Ingredients :
small amount of rice

peanut butter
sugar (add to your taste)

corn starch

Cook the rice first. While the rice is cooking, sift the corn starch (at least here you need to – it has to be really fine to make the bouille smooth). Then put the peanut butter in a bowl and add water. Break up the peanut butter – basically you dilute the peanut butter. You will want to sift that peanut butter water as well to get out any big parts of the peanut butter.

Once the rice is cooked keep the pot on the stove and add the peanut butter water. Stir preferably use a gourde (apparently special for making brouillie). Then before adding the corn starch, dilute that as well with water – make sure to mix well. Then slowly add corn starch while stirring. Keep stirring while the mixture cooks. It should start to get thicker. Then you add sugar depending on how sweet you like it. Then once it all thickens up a bit – it’s finished. You can eat right away or likemost people here, store in a thermos until it is actually time to break fast.

bouille

gossay