Ramadan and iftaar menu in Bangladesh

My friend from Pakistan asked about Bangladeshi iftaar menu. I took some pictures of iftaar dishes to post at 'FaceBook' and at the same time I thought of posting something about our cultural or traditional iftaar food at my blog. Iftaar food varies in different countries around the world. There is a cultural or traditional iftaar menu at each region and so does the Bangladesh has.

Bangladeshi towns and villages come alive with lights and decorations on the street, in shops and in the market places as Ramadan is the one of the most celebrated Bangladesh festival of the year which masses of people participate.
Islam is the largest religion of Bangladesh, the Muslim population is approximately 148.6 million, which is the fourth largest Muslim population in the world (after Indonesia, Pakistan and India), constituting 90.4% of the total population as of 2010.

Piyazu

In Bangladesh, a wide variety of foods is prepared to break the fast at Maghrib time. Special dishes are prepared during the Fasting of Ramadan.

Some of the common iftar items from Bangladeshi iftaar menu include Piyaju (made of lentils paste, chopped onions, green chilies, like falafel), Beguni (made of thin slices of eggplant dipped in a thin batter of gram flour), Jilapi, Muri ( puffed rice similar to Rice krispies ), yellow lentil grains, usually soaked in water and spiced with onion, garlic, chilli and other iftar items), Halim, dates, samosas, Dal Puri (a type of lentil based savoury pastry), Chola (cooked chickpeas), fish kabab, mughlai paratha (stuffed porota with minced meat and spices), pitha, traditional Bengali sweets and different types of fruits such as watermelon.

Beguni

 Drinks such as Rooh Afza and lemon shorbot are common on iftar tables across the country. People like to have iftar at home with all family members and iftar parties are arranged by mosques sometimes. People also arrange iftaar parties at conventions centers, restaurants or hotels.

Muri Bharta

Summer fruits festival and early years

The summer (May, June and July) is specially treated as fruit festival season in Bangladesh when almost all the major and minor fruits are matured and available. Mangoes,Jackfruit, pineapple, guavas, lichi, berries, palms are the main fruits of summer. Of them the mango is the most popular.
9th June, 2014 Monday 'Summer Fruit Festival' was organized in our school. It was a usual hot day but early year children were excited to see and recognize a wide variety of summer fruits at 'Summer Festival 2014'.

There was arrangement of fruits display along with posters and pictures of these fruits. There was an easel board to practice 'fruit printing' for students. Another place was used to show the drawings of students relating to summer fruits.

Fruits display at a corner

Children were enthusiastic to learn about summer fruits. They also recited rhymes relating to fruits.

Fruit printing with poster colors

Summer fruit pictures drawn by students of KG

Nursery class children saying rhymes