iftar

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People attending a mass Iftar hosted by Palakkad District Muslim Association, an Indian community organisation, in Doha yesterday.

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Ramadan delicacy
Web posted at: 9/15/2007 2:12:30
Source ::: The Peninsula/ (Salim Matramkot)
With bowls in their hands, a group of children seen heading towards a Qatari household in a locality in Doha yesterday evening to collect 'Arees', a traditional Arabic dish cooked for mass distribution by rich Qatari nationals during the holy month of Ramadan.

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Doha • The Sheraton Doha Resort and Convention Hotel has again reserved a pleasant surprise for its guests at its traditional Ramadan tent, named 'Awlad Haretna' which opened on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan on Thursday evening.

Guests, among them members of the local press invited to have a preview of the venue and spend an evening at the Awlad Haretna, were offered a unique experience of traditional sohour featuring Middle Eastern cuisine accompanied by live entertainment of classic Arabic music creating an exceptional Oriental ambiance.

The Sheraton Ramadan Tent which can accommodate 400 diners took some two weeks to build including the beautiful inside decorations. An additional space has been set at the Terrace outside the tent with a capacity for 250 guests.

The entertainers who were specially flown in from Egypt are well known from across the Middle East for their performance of Arabic classic music, according to Shukri Hussein, Food and Beverage Manager at Sheraton.

Among them is singer Riham Hakim, who is performing for the first time in the GCC. She is famous in the entire Arab world for her performance of songs by the late diva of Arabic classic music Oum Kulthoum.

Hussein said that the Awlad Haretna Ramadan Tent is dedicated to evening sohour meal throughout this special time of the year, but traditional Iftar to break the daily fast can also be arranged for large corporate or private groups' parties.

The evening spent at the Ramadan Tent on Thursday turned out to be a delightful experience complete with a lavish buffet-style Sohour featuring a selection of traditional Ramadan specialties.

Arabic speciality chefs presented a selection of light Middle Eastern dishes, including shawarma and falafil as well as more complex main-course dishes cooked on the spot.

Guests were served a selection of hot and cold starters and typical Arabic salads such as fotoush, homous, kabouleh and mezze accompanied by drinks such as labaan (yoghourt) and tamarhind (tamarind). This was followed by a selection of main courses featuring live cooking, bread fresh from oven and barbecues and ending with fresh fruits and Arabic sweets.

The gentle fragrances emanating from the shisha pipes' assorted flavors and exquisite Arabic classic music combined in the Sheraton Ramadan Tent to provide an exceptional Oriental ambiance and a perfect setting for guests to spend a memorable evenings' get-together