A big part of a classic iftar and suhoor is the traditional Ramadan soups. At suhoor, you could start with a light soup, as it is early in the morning. Soup is both comfortable and easily adapted to fit other suhoor dishes like bread and vegetables.
Ramadan recipes & Iftar ideas
Explore these Ramadan themes
Breaking fast for Ramadan
Ramadan fasting is not all about abstaining from food and drink from sunrise to sunset but also about purifying the body and mind, feeling closer to God, and being able to empathise with the less fortunate. Fasting during the month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, and it is celebrated by all Muslims throughout the world. As part of Ramadan fasting, you engage in self-reflection, praying, connecting with the community, empathising with the less fortunate, giving something back, and feeling closer to God.
At sunset, iftar begins; it means breaking fast and enjoying a meal and prayer with family and friends, and just before sunrise and a new day of Ramadan fasting begins, you enjoy suhoor, a breakfast sort of meal before starting the fast. After a month of fasting, the three-day holiday, Eid, is celebrated with prayer, food, gifts, visits to and from family and friends, and fun activities.
Celebrating breaking fast at iftar
Iftar is the meal you enjoy after breaking fast at sunset. It is the main meal and a meal of celebration when you can finally eat and drink after a long day of prayers, fasting, and abstaining from different habits and, of course, food and drinks. It happens immediately after sunset when you break fast with dates or light snacks or starters like soup, then pray, and then continue with iftar with all the meals that have been prepared during the day or evening. The meal can consist of anything from savoury snacks with salads, potato mash, etc. on the side and casseroles, oven-baked dishes, etc.
We have some delicious recipes to give you inspiration for iftar starters and snacks as well as recipes for many delicious easy-to-prepare iftar dishes and tasty iftar salads.
After a day of fasting, iftar is a celebration that you share with family, friends, and guests with plenty of savoury and sweet food and drinks. Most often, iftar is celebrated at home, either your own or as a guest at someone else’s, but it is also sometimes hosted in a mosque with the community.
Iftar recipes
Preparing for a day of fasting at suhoor
Suhoor is the first meal of the day and the last meal before sunrise and a new day of Ramadan fasting begins. Though not celebrated in the same communal way with friends and guests as iftar, it is tradition to wake up for suhoor and get food and drink before the fast.
Sometimes, suhoor looks a lot like breakfast with bagels, toast, pancakes, and scrambled eggs, but other times it is more savoury and dinner-like dishes.
If you need inspiration for some delicious suhoor dishes, have a look at some of our quick and easy suhoor ideas.
Suhoor recipes
Traditional recipes for Ramadan
There is almost no limit to what you can cook up and enjoy after breaking fast at iftar and before fasting again at suhoor. There are a lot of classic, traditional Middle Eastern recipes that you will almost always see on the menu for iftar or suhoor, including snacks, starters, main meals, breakfast treats, and sweet desserts.
You will often see ingredients like pistachios, walnuts, flaky pastry used for, for example, knafeh, borek, baklava, sambousek, and kullaj, thick cream, spices like cardamom, cumin, coriander, garam masala, and za'atar, labneh, paneer cheese, and pomegranate seeds. All these are full of flavours and different textures that are perfect to break your Ramadan fasting, and most are used interchangeably between savoury and sweet food.
Traditional recipes
Recipes for Ramadan soup
Recipes for Ramadan dessert
Questions about Ramadan
If you are still curious about all things Ramadan and want to know more about Ramadan foods, eating at iftar and suhoor, and much more, keep reading below.
When is Ramadan?
Ramadan happens in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar; a lunar calendar tied to the moon phases, with each month starting at the sight of the crescent moon. This is why the Holy Month changes yearly, moving back about 10-11 days. So, when to celebrate Ramadan depends on the lunar calendar, which means that different countries can have varying starting days depending on the moon's cycle, but usually only by a day.
What is Ramadan iftar?
Iftar is the meal you have after breaking fast at sunset. Some break the fast by eating three dates and some water as the prophet Muhammed did, while some start with a bowl of soup to start the meal slowly before enjoying the feast prepared during the day. Iftar consists of starters and snacks, savoury meals, and sometimes followed by sweet desserts. After breaking Ramadan fasting, the sunset prayer follows, and then the rest of the meal can continue. Iftar is, just like Ramadan itself, also about being kind and bringing blessings, which is why it is customary to invite guests to share the meal as an act of kindness and benevolence.
What is Ramadan suhoor?
Before sunrise, you prepare the mind and body for a new day of Ramadan fasting by praying and eating a breakfast called suhoor. Often, suhoor can look much like a regular breakfast with eggs, toast, bagels, pancakes, and the like. But, it can also be more savoury like filled khobez, shakshuka, and paratha sandwiches, as well as ingredients like labneh, paneer cheese, pistachios, and much more.
How does Ramadan fasting work?
Understanding Ramadan fasting is quite easy. From sunrise to sundown, you abstain from food and drink. The Holy Month lasts for 29-30 days, in which you fast every day after eating suhoor in the morning and until breaking fast in the evening at iftar. There are specific rules to follow about what is allowed during Ramadan fasting and what is not. If you break the fast, or if you are unable to fast, you must either fast again later in the year to account for the missed day(s) of fasting or provide a meal to a person in need for every missed day(s).
How long is fasting for Ramadan?
Ramadan fasting is 29 or 30 days long depending on the moon cycle. You fast from dawn to dusk, usually observing local times for sunrise and sunset. But, if you are living in a country with very long days of daylight, or maybe even without a sunset for a longer period, it is allowed to follow other countries' times for fasting, for example, Saudi Arabia's or the nearest Muslim-majority country's time.
What are the rules for Ramadan fasting?
There are several rules for Ramadan fasting, both in terms of what you can eat and drink and etiquette. For example, of course, you are not allowed to eat and drink between sunrise and sunset, but you should also abstain from showing signs of fasting to others or talking too much about it. In addition, you should not argue or quarrel or swear. Instead, be cheerful, show good spirits, do acts of charity, and be kind to others. You should also read the whole Quran at least once during the Holy Month.
What do you eat for Ramadan?
You eat both sweet and savoury meals and snacks when breaking fast for Ramadan. Immediately after sunset, you celebrate iftar, breaking fast with, for example, a date or bowl of soup. Then you enjoy the whole iftar meal, eating traditional savoury foods and snacks like borek, sambousek, chicken, casseroles, and kofta, finishing with sweet dessert treats like qatayef, knafeh, basbousa, and umm Ali. Before sunrise, you celebrate suhoor, eating breakfast dishes like shakshuka, pancakes, omelettes, toasts, and bagels, and maybe eating some soup.
