The holy month of Ramadan is not just a month of fasting but another part of its festivities is feasting. And what could probably be the most important part of the month is serving food to others. Charity is an important cornerstone of Islam and it is believed that serving food and giving Ramadan food donation to others during Ramadan is an honourable act and will bring prosperity to your household. Islamic teachings say that Allah will bless anyone who provides Iftar or the evening meal for others, and they will never experience hunger or thirst again.
From the bustling bazaars of Marrakesh to the street markets of Jakarta, the whole month of Ramadan experiences a boom of new stalls serving cultural delicacies, traditional Ramadan food and sweets during the evening. Amongst the myriad of markets spanning across the continents, one of the most famous food streets during Ramadan is Mohammed Ali Road in Mumbai, India.
Mohammed Ali Road
The Mohammed Ali Road is a long commercial stretch in South Mumbai extending from the famous Crawford Market to the J.J. Hospital. Surrounded by many notable mosques including Minara Masjid and Jama Masjid, it is well-known as a Muslim-dominated part of the city. With a huge community of long-standing residents, a few stalls around the mosques very quickly developed into a full-fledged bazaar for Ramadan and has been an iconic part of the city’s street food culture, serving traditional Ramadan food ever since.
Almost every citizen of Mumbai from its farthest reaches visits Mohammed Ali Road at least once during the height of festivities in the month of Ramadan. Not only the denizens of Mumbai but the road’s popularity also invites a pilgrimage for foodies irrespective of religion from across the country with its immense variety of Ramadan food offerings from meat dishes, kebabs, biryanis and desserts.
The market usually starts setting up around 4 pm where most stalls are quick takeaway spots for people to stock up on the food for their Iftar meals later at home after the prayer. Once the sun sets and the time for Iftar rolls around, the streets turn into impromptu restaurants with plastic chairs and tables set up outside the shops for people to sit and eat.
Bhendi Bazaar
One of the offshoots of the Mohammed Ali Road is the Bhendi Bazaar also known as Bohri Mohalla for its population of Dawoodi Bohra community. The name of the area comes from the time of British occupation when the Britishers would call the area simply “behind the bazaar” because of its location on the other side of the Crawford Market. At the same time, the Britishers used to live on the southern side. For Indians who weren’t familiar yet with English, it was phonetically similar to Bhendi Bazaar because Bhendi was the local word for Okra and the name stuck ever since.
The Bohri Mohalla is famous for serving Bohra delicacies from its traditional biryani to khichda which is made with slow-cooked mutton and broken wheat. There is also a variety of samosas with various fillings from minced meat to corn and traditional desserts like Malpua, a fried pancake made from a fermented batter of wheat flour with jaggery and cardamom coated with egg and served with fresh cream as well as a special Ice cream known as Sancha which is made in the old fashioned way by hand churning with pieces of fresh fruits and nuts.
The Eating of Offals
Global cuisine has had a love-hate relationship with offals for centuries. In ages past, when meat was expensive and considered food for the rich. The scraps and internal organs which would be then discarded as less premium were sought after by the commoners and the poor which became known as offals. These include the intestines, stomach, spleen, kidneys, liver, lungs, and brain which are left after butchering an animal. Later down the line, it was noted that each of these had certain nutritional aspects and the taste was even preferred by many. As meat became less expensive and more available for the commoners, offals became an acquired taste and texture, something the rich started to indulge in. However, everyone is equal during the month of Ramadan.
The amount of food required to feed the many tourists and inhabitants during the month brings a lot of meat from the butchers to the table and along with it, comes the offals. As a period of fasting, Ramadan also teaches the value of food and wasting it is considered dishonourable. This means that all the offals which are considered waste products are also diligently used in the street markets in various crowd favourites including grilled Bheja or Lamb Brain, pan-fried Kaleji or Liver, stir-fried Gurda or Kidney and Tandoori Khiri or Udders.
All you can wish for at Mohammed Ali Road
Ramadan food traditions are a big part of the city's culture and activities. From sizzling kebabs hot off the grill, slow-cooked curries served with naan, rolls with fillings of minced meat, deep fried dishes to some of the most decadent desserts, when it comes to the variety of dishes you can find in the streets of Mohammed Ali Road during Ramadan, your imagination is the only limit.
