IFTAARS in Lucknow are specially curated affairs, with heirloom recipes that have been passed down through generations within families. The dishes that feature in the iftaar, while simple, hold tremendous symbolic value for people, often reminding them of traditions and yearly rituals. Every home's dastarkhwan uses food to tell a unique tale of the value that families place on being together.
In the older part of the city are some homes that narrate a story of their rich heritage and culture. An hour-and-a-half before the iftaar, from 5 pm, every kitchen becomes a site of 'hul-chul'.
Waseem Aapa's kitchen (see below) is one among them. Known for her snacks, Aapa can be seen cooking some of the most anticipated iftaar treats, such as different types of pakoras including pyaaz (onion), aloo (potatoes), and paalak (spinach) bread pakoras, dahi phulki, fruit chaat, cutlet, custard, papad, chane ki daal, lassi, sattu, sabudane ka sharbat and khus. She makes all of these dishes meticulously, and with lots of love.
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Aapa, 5.45 pm to 6.03 pm | Aapa flashes a quick smile when I ask her for the recipe of her famous snack: bread pakora. The bread is cut before being coated in a besan (chickpea flour) batter, and deep-fried.
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As the iftaar time draws near, the family gathers to prepare the meal while talking about their daily struggles, how they feel about their roza, and what's cooking. Depending on what each person does best, everyone is assigned different responsibilities.
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The Anwars, 5.15 pm to 6.20 pm | Mehar Anwar cuts fruits in her ancestral home in Old Lucknow. Later, her daughter Jaazbia prepares a fruit chaat with her father, discussing a funny incident involving a fruit seller. Jaazbia sets up the iftaar table in the aangan (courtyard) and the family awaits the maghrib azaan.
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In most homes, foods like chicken or keeme-ke-samose that were prepared in the market, especially for Ramzan, occasionally find their way onto the dastarkhwan. Though iftaar is primarily about breaking the fast or roza, the time is also about making dua (praying) to god.
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Shaheen's family, 5.20 pm to 6.30 pm | Shaheen prepares Roohafzah for the iftaar meal. Meanwhile, Omair sets the table in readiness. At the appointed time, Ashraf Jahan makes dua before the maghrib azaan; then Shaheen and Omair also sit down to break their fast.
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While people prefer to return home to break their fast and spend time with their families, some are unable to do so by iftaar. In such cases, they find new 'families' to break their roza with.
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Men, 6.30 pm | A group of shopkeepers break their rozas outside their shops as they haven't been able to make it home in time for iftaar.
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All photos © Fatima Juned for Slurrp.