Sonia Sheikh has an idiosyncratic way of welcoming her guests. As soon as they settle down, they are served a hot cup of freshly brewed green tea. While it comes from the family of the green teas, it's golden and the translucence that releases steam in a spiral upward direction can remind anyone of a scene from an old middle eastern novel.
She says this is her traditional way of welcoming guests back home in Peshawar, where it’s called kehwa. She says she brought this family tradition with herself when she moved to Melbourne nine years ago.
“It’s a given. My guests now anticipate it and if I am a few minutes late, they will start asking about the tea. At my home, the supply never ends."
Peshawari kehwa is the most common type of green teas consumed across Pakistan. Image: Supplied Source: Supplied
For her and her family, the kehwa also makes a great wrap up after a heavy iftar (the time Muslims break their fast at sunset during ). The lead, however, she adds, is most certainly taken by Rooh Afza (the red drink).
“It’s a given. My guests now anticipate it and if I am a few minutes late, they will start asking about the tea. At my home, the supply never ends."
It’s no surprise that food becomes a part of who we are and has a great memory and sensory value. It ties us to memories from childhood, the past in general and its aroma takes us back in time to specific moments.
Food and culture: it's a twisted wrap
Gita Subedi, a Sydney-based anthropologist, says traditional cuisine is passed down from one generation to the next. Subedi, who recently completed a PhD with a focus on food and metropolitanism, says food operates as an expression of cultural identity.
“Immigrants bring the food of their countries with them wherever they go and cooking traditional food is a way of preserving their culture when they move to new places.”
Brisbane-based Sadaf Artani says she preserves her culture on the iftar table in a plate of samosa chaat, an Indian sub-continental spicy potato filling in a flour wrap, fried and served with chickpeas, mint chutney and tamarind sauce.
READ MORE
What is the real essence of Ramadan?
Samosa – food fit for a king
Samosas have been one of the most famous items on the grand Sultan’s and Mughal emperors’ feasts and were referred to as a traditional royalty. However, their claim to the samosa fame is contested.
“Immigrants bring the food of their countries with them wherever they go and cooking traditional food is a way of preserving their culture when they move to new places.”
The samosa is claimed to have originated from the Middle East, where it was called the sambosa. In the Pakistani-Indian region, it is said to have travelled from Central Asia, where it was called sanbusak, sanbusaq or even sanbusaj, all deriving from the Persian word, sanbosag. It’s said to have been mentioned as early as the 10th century in Iranian historian Abolfazl Beyhaqi’s (995-1077) historical accounts.
Artani says we must not be fooled by its simple-looking shape. The vendors back in Pakistan and India, she says, make it look so easy: place the filling, flip aside and two, and chuck it in the frying pan.
Artani's scrumptious samosa chaat. Image: Supplied Source: Supplied
“Making the perfectly triangular samosa is an art, an art that takes more than a few attempts to master.”
Old snacks, healthy versions: what a chutney
For Sidrah Hammad, the dahi barras on the iftar table time takes her back to her maternal grandmother’s house back in Pakistan.
“I remember my nano always had them for iftar and I would slather them with meethi chutney before eating them. Of course, I now make my own healthy version of baked dahi barras but that memory has stayed with me,” she told SBS Urdu.
Dahi barras are another Indian sub-continental snack made from lentil or chickpea fried dumplings, soaked in water and later served with yoghurt and tamarind sauce. The meethi chutney is a sweet-tangy gooey plum sauce, with a dash of dates and jaggery.
Sidrah Hammad makes dahi barras that take her back the memory lane. Supplied Source: Supplied
Other healthier versions of the traditional food include the jalebi sweet, sugar-free red drinks, potato-free pakorras, low-fat yoghurt and baked-over-fried technique.
Bringing people together
Samia Siddiqui, who is based in Sydney and moderates a food group called Australian Foodies Ladies Group, says it is amazing how members come close over food.
She says, "since managing this group I have found that though things such as beliefs, values, clothing, opinions, etc are forever driving us apart; the different foods, recipes and dinner traditions surprisingly bring us closer, together."
Food is one of our cultural identities, and the more the world is becoming globalized, the easier it is becoming for migrants to access their cuisines in far off lands. Australia and its growing migrant population is a great example.
