Homemade Ma’maoul, by my mother. Photo: Tasneem Alghamdi
My mother, Nora, is an inventive cook — and a typical Arab cook, who not only will generously insist that you finish your food but will make sure you are satisfied with it. “The size of the bite is as big as the love you have to the person who cooked the food,” she always says when we have guests over.
My mother is an expert when it comes to diverse cuisines, from Arabian to Turkish to Indonesian to Russian to Pakistani. her cooking skills made our kitchen more like a melting pot and a reflection of her life journey, having lived in all these countries since she got married to my father.
Her travels started six months after they married in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, when she moved to five different countries and lived on three different continents. But wherever she went, she has always managed to bring a sense of home with the type of food she cooked for us, particularly during special occasions when she is away from her own family, like Eid.
Eid is an important holiday that marks the end of the Islamic holy month Ramadan, where fasting is observed from sunrise to sunset by Muslims worldwide. Ramadan’s breakfast, or Iftar, happens at sunset, and has always been a special meal, with traditional dishes. But one common food is a selection of dates paired with Arabic coffee. Ma’amoul is one of the Eid sweets that is made in almost every house in Arabic countries — and one of my mother’s specialties.
The sweet pastry is filled with fine Saudi dates and nuts and covered with sugar sprinkles and freshly grounded cardamom. Ma’amoul is mostly made in a ball shape, but my mother takes it to another level and decorates every single ball with traditional Arabian patterns that resemble floral patterns.
There is nothing like the beautiful smell of freshly baked Ma’amoul just coming out of the oven. Whenever I visit home, I always have something to take back with me, and that always includes dates and ma’amoul, along with Arabian food that I can’t find elsewhere. My mother’s goodbyes mean best wishes, stored dates in small boxes and ma’amoul for me to eat when I’m away.
Eid is all about food and family, it’s an essential event in our culture that brings a sense of togetherness and family bonding.
When I miss home and the cheerful atmosphere of celebrating Eid with my cousins back in Saudi, ma’moul is one way I make up for the fact that I am not home.
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