Ramadan, A Time To Fast, But Also A Time to Celebrate Food

KQED's Forum

During Ramadan, observant Muslims who are able to fast from sunrise to sunset, eating and drinking nothing. It is not a surprise then that food takes on a special, and often celebratory, meaning during this month-long spiritual reset. And in the Bay Area, the food prepared during Ramadan, whether it’s suhoor, the pre-sunrise meal before the fast begins or iftar, the meal eaten to break the fast, reflects the diversity of the Muslim diaspora itself. On the next “All You Can Eat,” our series on Bay Area food cultures, we’ll talk with restaurateurs about how they mark this time, how they break fast, and what it’s like to keep your restaurant open until the early morning hours for a meal that goes from dusk to dawn. What is your Ramadan tradition and how does the holiday change your relationship with food?

Guests:

Luke Tsai, food editor, KQED Arts & Culture

Reem Assil, chef, Reem's California; author, "Arabiyya: Recipes From the Life of An Arab in Diaspora"

Hisham Abdelfattah, founder and owner, El Halal Amigos