Recipe (Bint as-Sahn)

Literally translated, the name of this dish means 'daughter of the plate', and it is mostly prepared on Fridays and special occasions.
 You need: white flour, three eggs, ghee, salt, sugar, yeast, honey, and some black seeds.
 1. Cup your hands together to scoop the white flour three times. This should be enough for a small bint as-sahn to try it out. Next time, you could use more. Put the flour in a bowl together with two-and-a half eggs, a pinch of salt, a couple of heaped tablespoons of sugar, and a little yeast.
2. With luke-warm water, knead this with your hand into an elastic dough which is neither too watery nor too tough.
3. Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave for an hour, or until risen.
4. Then make six (or more or less, it doesn't matter that much) little balls (put some flour on your hands while doing this).
5. Put some melted ghee on your baking tray to prevent the dish from sticking. Take the first ball and with your hands and/or a roller, make it into a round piece of dough, an thin as possible. Put it on your baking tray, and pour some melted ghee over it. Repeat with all the other balls.
6. Spread the remaining egg on top and sprinkle some black seeds over it.
7. Put in the oven until ready (this may take approx. 20 minutes).
8. Serve either warm or cold with lots of honey on top.

Eid al Adha

It's nearly Eid al Adha. Everywhere you go you see lots and lots of sheep for sale - at markets, butchers, pick-up trucks... Because it's sunneh to slaughter a sheep on Eid and distribute part of its meat among neighbors, the poor, and friends. Street vendors at junctions sel big, sharp knives for this purpose. Eid is not only meat, though! It's also the early morning Eid prayer, coming together with family and friends, and remembering Allah. And the last day before Eid, the Day of Arafah, Moslims who are not on pilgrimage are encouraged to fast so that sins of the past and coming year may be forgiven. Businesses are already closing down. People are preparing for (at least!) a week off work.