One of the most beautiful aspects of the month of Ramadan is that it brings people together to pray and to eat. It’s a month during which you break your fast each night with others and eat collectively.
Each culture has their own Ramadan food traditions. For example, Moroccans are known to start their meals with harira, a tomato-based chickpea and lentil soup. Here in New York, however, where the earliest Muslims are said to have arrived in the 17th century, successive generations are diversifying their food palates and creating their own traditions, enjoying everything from pizza and pakoras to freekah and fried chicken.
Eid al-Fitr — also known as the festival of breaking the fast — marks the end of Ramadan, and will soon be here on and around April 10 and 11. It’s both a happy and bittersweet celebration, as people enjoy one last feast with loved ones before returning to their individual busy New York lives.
And to mark Eid and the end of Ramadan, we’d like to suggest a few restaurants — each spanning different Muslim cultures and different New York neighborhoods — to celebrate the occasion.