Traditional Ramadan Desserts from Around the World

After a long day of fasting, Muslims enjoy a wholesome meal at iftar, but an iftar meal is not complete without dessert. Desserts are ideal for iftar because they boost sugar levels after a long day of fasting when sugar levels have lowered. Furthermore, they provide a sugar rush improving people’s energy levels as well as moods after a tolling day of fasting.

Here are some Ramadan desserts people from around the world:

Kunafeh

Kunafeh is a sweet dish made of semolina dough and phyllo pastry, which is stuffed with cheese. This is a crispy and creamy dessert that is popular in the Middle East for various occasions, but especially for Ramadan. People argue that the dessert dates back to the Fatimid Caliphate, while others argue that it dates back to the Umayyad Caliphate. Nevertheless, kunafeh makes a scrumptious treat for Ramadan.

Kheer

Kheer is a rice pudding that is made of milk, rice, and sugar. Kheer is a sweet dish that is very popular in the subcontinent and has different variations in Central Asia and the Middle East. Kheer is a refreshing treat for iftar because it is sweet and cool, which is very welcome after a warm and tiring day of fasting.

Kolak

Kolak is an Indonesian dessert that is the highlight of Indonesian iftar parties. This sweet dish is made of coconut milk, palm sugar, bananas, and sweet potatoes. Not only is this sweet dish a sugary delicacy, but it is also very nutritious because of the bananas and sweet potatoes in it, which makes it a quintessential Ramadan dessert.

Güllaç

Güllaç is a traditional Ramadan dessert in Türkiye and is preferred over other sweet dishes because it is easy to prepare and light on the stomach. The dessert is made of thin sheets of dried cornstarch, flour, and water, which are then soaked with milk and rosewater. The soaked sheets are then layered with walnuts and garnished with pomegranate seeds. The cornstarch and flour sheets were traditionally hand-rolled in the months prior to Ramadan and stored for usage during the blessed month.

Sholeh Zard

Sholeh Zard is a saffron rice pudding that is served at festivals in Iran including Ramadan and Shabe Yalda (Yalda Night). The dessert is ideal for iftar because it is soft and light in texture, which makes it easy to consume and the flavour of saffron gives the dessert a very distinct and delectable taste.

Nishallo

Image source: Woman's Day website. 

Nishallo is a traditional Ramadan dessert in Uzbekistan and neighbouring Central Asian countries. The sweet dish is made of sugar, whipped egg whites, water, and licorice roots. This dessert is eaten with naan bread and is suitable for iftar because its high sugar content boosts energy levels and it is very light and fluffy, therefore it is not heavy on the stomach.