Iftar

What it is

Following the practice of the Prophet Muhammad, the fast is opened with dates and water. Many people then perform the sunset prayer before returning to the full meal. What is served depends on the country. Morocco has a tomato and lentil soup. Egypt and the Levant have lentil soup, stuffed vegetables and syrup-soaked pastries. South Asia has fried snacks, fruit salad, a rose-flavoured milk drink and slow-cooked wheat and meat porridge. Indonesia begins with something sweet, such as fruit in coconut milk.

A shared meal

Iftar is rarely eaten alone. Families gather every evening. Mosques lay long cloths or tables and feed anyone who comes, free of charge, and in many cities charitable tables are set up in the streets. At the two holy mosques in Mecca and Medina, vast numbers of worshippers break the fast together. Inviting neighbours, colleagues and people of other faiths is common. In 2023 UNESCO added iftar and its social traditions to its list of intangible heritage.

How it works

Food is set out before sunset and people wait. The signal is the call to the sunset prayer, and in some cities a cannon is fired. A short supplication is said and the fast is opened. After the meal many go to the mosque for the night prayer and the long additional prayers of Ramadan, called tarawih. The evening often continues with tea, sweets and visits. The time of sunset changes daily and is published in local timetables.

How to do it

1. If invited, arrive ten or fifteen minutes before sunset.
2. Wait for the call to prayer before eating or drinking.
3. Begin with a date and water, as your hosts do.
4. Expect a pause for prayer, then the main meal.
5. Bring dates, sweets or fruit as a gift for the host.

Good manners

• Do not start early. The whole table is waiting for the same moment.
• Eat moderately. Ramadan is a month of restraint.
• Guests of any faith are welcome. Dress modestly, above all at a mosque.

What is eaten

HariraNorth African soup of tomato, legumes, herbs and spices, often served during RamadanSamosaFried or baked pastry with a spiced filling, shaped into triangles or conesHaleemA slow-cooked stew of wheat, lentils, meat and spicesQatayefSweet stuffed pancakes, folded and filled with nuts or cream, served for RamadanKnafehShredded pastry layered with cheese and soaked in sweet syrupLentil soupA hearty soup made from lentils, often with vegetables and spicesFattoushLevantine salad of toasted pita, mixed greens, and vegetablesPakoraVegetables or other fillings coated in spiced gram flour batter and deep-friedChorbaA family of hearty soups and stews found from North Africa to Central Asia

Sources and further reading

• Iftar on Wikipedia
• UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: Iftar and its socio-cultural traditions
• BBC Religions: Ramadan