We’ve started to count down for the end of the Ramadan month. There is a very sweet festival waiting for all muslims at the end of this fasting month. And I want to share still another Ramadan tradition before it ends. This is a month when rich people think more of the poor. People understand the importance of foods more as a result of their fast and they realize that not everybody can afford even the basic foods. You know iftar tents open for the poor, but there is still another good way of helping these poor people if you want to help individually.
In the past, people used to buy some packaged foods, put them in a bag, and take it to the poor people’s homes. Today, these packages are prepared by big markets and they are sold there. These packages are called Ramadan Package (Ramazan Paketi). So what does a ramadan package contain? A usual ramadan package generally has dry foods such as rice, bulgur, chickpeas, lentils, beans, black tea, pasta, sugar, salt, flour, vermicelli 1 or half kilo packages from each. In addition, there is a 1-kilo-bottle oil. So it becomes easier for people. People go buy ramadan packages from the market and take it to the ones in need. Markets prepare different versions of ramadan packages according to the quality and price of the foods. Then you can buy the package suitable for your budget, and help others. Also, you pay less for these foods when you buy them in these packages, so this is another reason for people to prefer buying these prepared ones from markets. You can also make some additions to these packages with some meat, chicken, cheese, etc. if you’re an indivual supporter. Besides the people helping individually, the municipality of the city buys ramadan packages in big numbers and distribute them to the neighborhoods they’ve assigned in advance. These packages can also be given to the workers of big companies as a gift. In short, ramadan packages are great gifts if you want to support one’s budget at least in this month.
Today, our dinner was a simple sauteed meat (veal) served with our usual rice pilaf.
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Ingredients
– 500g meat (veal or lamb), diced
– 3 tbsp olive oil
– 2 green peppers, chopped
– 1 medium sized onion, chopped in half moon (I used purple onion)
– A few scallions, chopped
– 2 medium sized tomatoes, grated
– 1 bay leaf
– Salt to taste
– A pinch of black pepper
– A pinch of thyme
Put the meat in a flat pan, cover it and cook it over low heat until it releases its water and then absorbs it back.
Add olive oil now and stir. Sprinkle salt and other spices.
Put peppers first and stir it until they get tender, then add onions and scallions and keep stirring.
After they all get tender, pour grated tomatoes and stir once. Cover it and cook for about 10 minutes more.
Finally, take it from fire and put the bay leaf on the top, cover it again. Let it rest for some minutes. The flavor of the bay leaf will spread into the dish during this time. As I don’t love a very dense flavor of bay in my dish, I use this method, but if you love it, you may put it into the pan with the spices.
Support The Poor
This dish looks so tasty and I’ve had so much fun learning about the Ramadan traditions. I cannot wait to try the recipe.
I’m enjoying learning more about Ramadan traditions. The packages are a generous and lovely gesture.
Divina- There are a lot more Ramadan traditions, I’m just telling some of them here. As you see, it’s a very special month for us.
Natasha- It’s the best with rice pilaf!
Jenn- Thank you too, for saving time for reading these 🙂
Erkin- I completely agree, a high quality red wine and red meat are always the best companions!
Faith- Yes, ramadan packages help a lot of poor people during this month. Wish we have such traditions more often.
Turkish Food Passion- Teşekkürler Nihal, ben de günlük hayatta farketmeden, olağan şekilde yaşadığımız bu geleneklerimizin burada anlatırken, aslında ne kadar değerli olduklarını farkediyorum.
Yemek cok lezzetli gorunuyor. Ramazan geleneklerini de cok guzel anlatiyorsun.
This dish sounds so tasty! What a beautiful tradition the Ramadan package is!
Zerrin, this recipe sounds great. I couldn’t help associating it with a glass of red wine. I think they will make a wonderful dinner dish. Thank you.
Looks good.
It’s pretty neat to learn some food traditions of Ramadan. Thanks for sharing these recipes.
It’s a wonderful tradition! Thanks for sharing with us! I like this flavorful and delicious veal preparation, would love to try with rice pilaf!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe and the Ramadan tradition you have in Turkey.