You wouldn't believe a whole month has passed since Ramadan first started, would you ... but it has! Typical of Ramadan, it passes so quick, it really does! ... and now Muslims start the Eid El-ftr festivities, for three day, sooo ...
Eid Saeed
Or, happy Eid everybody out there
Where ever you are
and
who ever you are ...
:-)
In Egypt, Families have either started soon after Iftar yesterday, or would have woken up at down today, to make 'Kahk', or that traditional type of cookies you see in the picture. Usually Ma will prepare the dough, then the children will form and fill. Then, either leave Ma to bake, or send it to the bread bakery to do it for them. That's because some families will want to bake whole sale, 50 kilos or more! Well, you do need a lot if you want to pass a plate to your brothers, sisters, neighbours, friends, those who serve the neighbourhood, like the rubbish collectors, the postmen, the local street sellers, the electricity and gas men, the poor too ... yohooohooo, endless!... and the custom is, you do ... and you want to keep some to last a month or so for the family's breakfast after Eid too. Delicious with the morning coffee or tea .... and it's not only one type decorated differently that Egyptians make, but loads, all to different recipes, so it's a busy time until noon perhaps, then you start to cook the fish, for it's fish day today too ...
This tradition has now moved to all over the Middle East, and instead of waking up at dawn to cook, loads of people, me now included, athough I used to make it with the kids when they were small and still do every now and then, will just buy it ready made ... shame! It will be all over Edgware Road in London, made with purified butter and special natural flavourings and lots of fillings, it is so good, it melts in your mouth and the variety is just amazing sooo, why bother?! Lazy moi, but there you go, nobody is purrrfect after all ... :-)
This tradition of 'Kahk' making to celebrate festivities is perhaps as old as Egypt herself. Not neccessarily everything is recorded for as long as that, but we do have recordings for the last few thousand years of that long history, you know! Die hard habits have to come from some where, and I think in this case, most definately even from before recording began too! Maybe that's why 'Kahk' has and have always had and will always have a mystical and religious meaning. Drawings dating to thousands of years ago and showing the different types being offered in temples to the many gods and their priests, as well as depicting happy occasions of all sorts were found on the temple walls in Thebes, which used to be the capital and is part of the now illustrious city of Luxor in upper Egypt. Detailed recipes of how they were made those thousands of years ago were found too. These old recipes have never changed throughout the millennia and are similar if not exactly how 'Kahk' is made today.
Kahk being carried as part of an offering, middle of bottom row?
The white sugar dusted one in the picture is the main type, and while you can ignore making some of the other varieties, this is a must make. The tradition has rippled out through the ages and is now the most prominent feature of Eid El-ftr all over the middle East. Usually, differing names are given to all the other types, which include all sorts of biscuits, hard, soft, round, ball like, rectangular, tree shaped, with sugar, or honey, or molasses ... with nuts, without, fruit and dates filled, or plain ... etc, etc ... but unless the white sugar dusted ones are included, and usually of much larger quantities than the rest, then you can't say that you've made or bought 'Kahk' even if you made lots of the other varieties. Hence the name, although predominantly reserved for the sugar covered ones, it becomes the mother of all the other types when presented together too. If presented alone, other varieties lose the honour of this inclusive nature.
There is a reason for that; in the old days, the ancient Egyptians used to call that white one 'Qors' or 'disk', a reference to the sun disk, ie, to the sun god Ra himself, the first major god of Egypt. Most if not all the gods that follow are holders of the sun disk on top of their heads too since they are mainly birthed out of Ra. So they used to make Kahk in different sizes in those old days, including very large ones for sharing too to resemble that large sun disk on top of Ra's head. That's why the sugar dusting, it is to depict the sun's round shape, as well as it's light and warmth. This is why when 'Kahk' is made, it is kept in dry containers and only dusted with sugar just before serving to prevent the sugar from 'icing'. Well, the sun surface is in a state of continuous eruptions and and those never 'ice', or life would be no more ... hence 'Kahk' was also a symbol for the continuation of life itself with some varities are made to resemble the top part of the Ankh, or the key to the Nile and to life. Kahk was therefore also considered an amulet to protect from 'icing' and to provide hope of continuity as well as warmth and a wish for same and good luck when given to others.
You give others 'Kahk', you're giving them life ...
and the habit of making the delicious 'Qurs' filtered down through the ages, it is said that emperor Herodotus, the father of the so called 'Enquiry into history', or something like that, recorded that he was surprised to see the Egyptians mix or knead Kahk and bread dough with their feet, but use their hands to do the same with mud to prepare it to be used for building work! Well, you never know if that was true for the man was a bit fanciful, hence his enquiry into history is a bit, well, on the wide side unlike the Egyptian's spot on portrayal of same, I believe! ... Enquiry is one thing but portrayal, with description, is another? Convince me! ... but yes, the Egyptians used their feet a lot in those days and some still do, sooo ... and it's how to this day juices are extracted from fruit for various purposes, and not just in Egypt, for example.
... and when Christianity came to Egypt, the custom was kept too, and to date, Egyptian Copts make Kahk to celebrate the end of their fast in Easter and it has a very special significance for them in relation to the thorn halo on Jesus's head and the painful journey he endured too ... then from the Copts to the Muslims and that's how Kahk now celebrates the end of the Muslim fast ... A tradition of 'one from one' ... or of continuty.
Ah, during the 12th century, the Fatimids who ruled Egypt then used to put a golden coin randomly inside the Kahk to enhance the people's feelings of happiness during the festivities. But since you can swallow that with the pastry, it is now the custom in Egypt to give children money in Eid El-ftr instead. Usually in brand new bank notes to match their top to bottom brand new Eid clothes ... and each parent, uncle, grandparent, auntie ... to their own ability ....
See! What do you know, what's a few thousand years here or there in the realm of time?! ... what is time anyway? All I know is what Kahk tells me, that time is that forever 'one out of another' never ending process ... and so, 'time' is what is kept in the DNA, like this tradition, for example. I believe that ... until we know better.
... And
Did you know Egyptians were the first to landscape gardens too? Look at all these exotic plants and that pond! ... and all that life!
... maybe another time ....
Oh yes, as I said before, today is fish day too. Lots of Egyptians cook that to thousands of years old recipes as well! But that, I have to make myself because it's not being sold ready made in London ... maybe I'll tell you another time, for that has a story too ....
Eid Saeed :-)
Prime Minister's message for Eid [No 10 :-]
... and more little suns, and stars [Kahk]
Family trees: Tracing the world's ancestor [click]
Sam's:
Kol aam wa antom bekhir [Many happy returns ]
Violin:Egyptian Ahmad ElHfny
“We can work together for a better world with men and women of goodwill, those who radiate the intrinsic goodness of humankind.”
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