Tuesday, March 19, 2024 | Ramadan 8, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

What keeps Omani women busy before Eid

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Other than picking the best and newest outfits, preparing gifts, decorating the house, housewives have other duties to complete before the Eid comes. For many Omani women, the Eid spice that needs to be pickled three or four days before is the major concern. This special spice blend is used for Mishkak and Shuwa.


Making the spice in the old villages follows unique rituals. All women in the village gather to peel the garlic in huge quantities. Once they are thoroughly cleaned and peeled, they mix them in big containers with other spices and vinegar ensuring that the sauce is distributed evenly.


To make the spice paste, they toast for about two minutes the cumin and coriander seeds in a skillet over medium-low heat until fragrant. They place in a blender or small food processor the garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, salt, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, vinegar, oil, and 2tbsp water and pulse or purée them until relatively smooth (there can still be some texture from the seeds). After this, they transfer the mixture to a bowl or jar, cover with plastic wrap, and let it sit overnight at room temperature.


The Shuwa can’t be called Omani if not covered by this specific kind of spice blend. The meat becomes extremely tender and it is impregnated with spices and herbs before cooking to give it a very distinct taste.


Omani halwa, a delicious popular desert and a symbol of traditional Omani hospitality, has a strong presence in Eid. Women cook other types of sweets like Hala al Lutis, Hala al Khishkhash, cheese cake, Guraibia, Qishat, semesmia, Ayn al jamal, halwa alnarjeel, Kunafa, mahooh, and Rahash.


All these puddings take their place on the Omani table besides other main dishes like arsia, harees, biryani and roasted meat. Because of the strong turnout on these sweets, some passionate Omani women turn it to a business.


Mais al Naa’bi shared, “I started collecting orders for sweets since mid of Ramadhan. On the 25th, I closed the orders because I received large requests. For three days, my sisters and I will cook in order to meet the demand, which is a day before Eid.”


She added, “All my orders are from the same wilayat. It is easy for us to deliver all orders at one day.”


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