7 Nigerian Muslims Share Their Ramadan Food Essentials
Written By Temitope Fatimah Adeiye
For many people, Ramadan 2020 is the first of its kind. The holy month on the Islamic calendar where Muslim faithful have to abstain from food, drink and sexual activity from dawn to dusk is compulsory for all Muslims of age, with exemptions only for menstruating women, pregnant or nursing women, the sick, the aged and travellers.
For many, if not all Muslims, it is a time for bonding and spiritual development through communal activities such as lectures, communal prayers, camps and joint iftar. This year, with the stay at home order, all this wouldn’t be possible.
This also means that a lot of people would have to cook their own meals and eat alone, a sharp contrast from joint family or community dinners, as well as freely extended invitations for iftar. If you’re apprehensive and you don’t even know where to start your food shopping from, it’s a completely normal reaction. We spoke to 7 Muslims and asked what foodstuff they’re stocking up for this month. Here’s what they had to say:
Taofeekah (F)
Provisions- (cereal, milo, beverages sugar, tea, oats); cooked soups- efo, egusi, okra, ogbono; snacks- Caprisun, and Fayrouz (for my mum), cheese balls, biscuits, Pringles, cookies; foodstuff- pepper, garri, rice, semolina, yam flour, spaghetti and noodles; protein- fish, meat, beef, eggs, chicken and turkey; fruits. Each item was stocked with relevance and ease of preparation in mind.
Aminah (F)
Rice for jollof rice, native rice, coconut rice, masa; oats for or cereal, swallow, and sometimes, smoothies, sweet corn and potatoes. I stocked up on them because they are my go-to meals and they can be made into several meals I also got beans for moi-moi and ekuru, and spaghetti for stir fry noodles.
Zulaykah (F)
Bread, custard and nuts, rice, tea, elubo for amala, semo. As a result of my years of struggle with a stomach ulcer, food has not been staying well in my stomach. I have to eat something light, not too oily and spicy.
I stocked up particularly for ease because this pandemic has not given us many options. And in the absence of the pandemic, there would have been available time to try other things, but coronavirus has rendered products inaccessible. I used to break my fast with dates. I love the dried dates but now that I am unable to get them, just break my fast with warm water.
Bello (M)
Garri for eba, rice, beans as a base for bean porridge, beans and plantain porridge and while yam for meals like boiled yam, fried yam and yam porridge yam, pepper for bases for stews and soups like egusi and efo, noodles, spaghetti, fish, eggs, cereal.
I stocked up on these things because these are all the kinds of foods I can cook. It definitely helps that they’re readily available. If not for the ‘rona, I would’ve gotten more fruits and other perishable food items.”
Binta (F)
Rice as a base for stir fry, jollof or plain old white rice; beans for porridge, akara and moin-moin, garri, palm oil, vegetable oil, eggs, yam, potatoes, spaghetti, soups and stews, vegetables, elubo, fruits, zobo, pap, pastries.
Zobo and pap are for soothing parched throats and rehydrating at iftar, accompanied by pastry. With these items, I can prepare pretty most of our meals for the next few weeks without any hassle.
Kifayah (F)
We didn’t necessarily shop for Ramadan, instead we restocked on the items we had at home preveiously. We got fruits like watermelon, oranges, and pineapples; pepper, protein like meat, fish, eggs and noodles, bread, garri, elubo, semo, cooking oil, milk, Milo, water and drinks, egusi and items for my go-to meals.
My go-to rice-based dishes are jollof, native jollof, fried rice, white rice and stew or rice and beans. I got yam because of meals like yam porridge, yamarita, fried yam and sauce and potatoes to go with either eggs, a sauce or chicken curry soup.
We typically have more fruits at home, but the fear of the ‘rona didn't let us go shop as much as we would like. The vendor who supplies us ajwa dates during this period couldn’t deliver she couldn't get import them into the country because of the pandemic.
Abdul Wahab (M)
Yam, bread, sausages, rice, eggs, beverages, beef. What is missing here are fruits. We don't have as many fruits as we used to but we're doing fine. With these food items, yam and eggs, white rice and stew, bread and sausages are some meals that can be whipped up
Editor’s note: Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Temitope is a Muslim Feminist and freelance writer with an interest in culture, parenting and feminist discourse. Her work has been featured in publications like Pulse, Net Nigeria and many more.