Taking a break from autumn recipes, there’s plenty on the web if you need something desperately, I have decided to concentrate on the upcoming Islamic holiday of the pilgrimage to Mecca and its culmination, Eid ul Adha. This year, the pilgrimage starts, most probably tomorrow. The whole new moon and viewing the new moon is always a bit tricky.
The pilgrimage to Mecca happens in the 12th month of the lunar Islamic calendar. The pilgrimage lasts 10 days, starting from the first of the month, and these are some of the most important days for a Muslim in his life time. The Pilgrimage, also known as Hajj, is one of the 5 Pillars of Islam and is a duty upon all Muslims providing they can afford to do it.
The Hajj involves tracing some of the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad (blessings be upon him) and the footsteps of other revered people in the Old Testament, for example, one ritual we observe is the frantic pacing of Hagar between two hills, looking for water for Ishmael, when they were stranded. On their seventh run, Ishmael struck the ground with his heel and a spring of water appeared. We do the very same thing, we walk back and forth between the two hills seven times. The walk is much easier for us than it was for her, we do it on paved marble and we take our time but even with the comfort, it’s not easy. It is a reminder for us, of her desperation, her resilience, her hardship and her motherhood. That well of water still exists today in Mecca and is known as the well of Zam Zam.
We travel to Medina, the city of the Prophet and observe other rituals during the 9 days. The 9th day is probably the most important, this day, everyone gathers on Mount Arafah and asks for their pilgrimage to be accepted and their sins forgiven. The Hajj is almost a baptism. When you perform Hajj, you have a clean slate, all your sins are forgiven and you are like a new born baby, pure and untainted. This is symbolised by the complete shaving of men’s head and just snipping the ends of a woman’s hair. So if you happen to see bald Muslim men come October 17th, they just got back from Hajj.
The Day of Arafah is a reminder of the day of judgement. You pray and ask for forgiveness and acceptance for your worship. Everyone is busy doing this intently and hoping their Hajj is accepted. It’s an “each to your own” mentality and that is a reminder of the last day, no one will be able to help you and only your good or bad deeds will decide your fate.
The 10th day is the day of celebration known as Eid ul Adha. On this day, everyone goes to congregational prayer in the morning, dressed in their nicest clothes. They meet and greet their friends and family. After prayer, its time for the sacrifice of the lamb, sheep, goat or cow.
Another ritual we observe is the sacrifice of Abraham of his only, beloved son, Ishmael (known as Ismail to Muslims). In the story, according to Islam, God asked Abraham to sacrifice his most beloved son, Ishmael and when Abraham obeyed his Lord without question, God rewarded his loyalty by replacing Ishmael with a lamb and Abraham ended up sacrificing that instead. It is Abraham’s loyalty to his one God, his duty and his sacrifice without question, that we remember, observe and celebrate.
Muslims remember this sacrifice and we too give a sacrificial lamb, goat or cow at the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca. Even if we don’t go to Mecca, we are still expected to give a sacrifice. The meat from the sacrifice is divided into thirds; 1/3 goes to the needy, 1/3 goes to family and friends and 1/3 is for yourself. Since my husband is not very good with the whole sacrificing a lamb sort of thing, we donate ours overseas to a needy country.
Needless to say, come the day of Eid, and days after, there’s a lot of meat! There is the meat that you have from your own sacrifice and then there’s the meat family and friends give you! There’s a lot of meat dishes that appear at the dinner table the next few months!
As a child visiting India or Pakistan for the holidays during this time was not a pleasant time for me. I did not like to see the sheep at our home one day and gone the next, and then appear on the dinner table later that week!
My family was very frugal with the meat too, and not because of saving money, but because they, honestly, found every piece of the animal truly tasty! The day of Eid, the breakfast was a lavish lay out of brains, livers, kidneys and other offal, all in rich masala and served with buttery naan or parathas. The breakfast table was filled with my uncles, grandfather, my older brother and my father all enjoying eyeballs and Rocky Mountain oysters (if you get my drift) talking excitedly about some mundane topic.
Me? I would walk up to that table, look at what was on it and quietly, walk right out. It was a hard few days for me because I didn’t eat much. I don’t know how I would be now if I went back to celebrate Eid there. I think I’d have an ever harder time!
Living here it’s much easier, I don’t have the visuals of animals, blood and guts. If I am given meat, it is already cut up and fairly clean. Living in Houston with family, we did enjoy some meat feasts though.
So today’s recipe, appropriately is a meat one; a Merguez Kebab one. I tried Merguez sausage once when I found them in Houston. I have looked since and have not come across any. So a few Google searches led me to the basic spices in the sausage and since Merguez sauasge is a North African spiced sausage, I wasn’t surprised to see the spices in the mix. Trial and error got me to the sausage I remembered. If you want to use it as a sausage, I would omit the onion and fry up links or patties, it is SO good. You can even drop Merguez meatballs into a tagine.
I turned the sausage into a heartier kebab by adding some onions and mint. I really wanted to grill them but time was of the essence that day so they went in the oven. Served with couscous and a vegetable tagine, they were perfect.
Serves: 24
Calories: 2585
Fat: 166g
- 2 lbs/1kg lean ground beef (10 percent)
- 1 lb/500g ground beef (20 percent)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground fennel
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- ½ tsp cayenne
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 3 tablespoons harissa paste
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- handful of mint, finely chopped
- Mix everything except onion and mint together and marinate overnight in the fridge.
- If you want to use it as a sausage, fry up in some oil as links or patties.
- If you want to make kebabs, add the onions and mint, form into kebab shape or patties and grill.
- Brush with a neutral flavoured oil before grilling or placing in the oven.
- You can also bake at 400℉/200℃ for about 30 minutes or until firm and browned.
- You can also stick them under the broiler for 5 minutes to get a deeper brown colour.
The ten days of the pilgrimage are very important whether you are travelling to Mecca or observing it at home. I usually fast the 9 days before Eid, so I will be doing it again this year, that means getting up before dawn and eating a light breakfast and then eating again after the sun sets.
In the spirit of this Islamic holiday, I’d like to wish you all much peace and happiness. I hope you are having a great weekend. Today, I am at Laith’s soccer tournament which is a two day affair and since it snowed yesterday, I am quite sure I am very cold. But I will take the cold over the heat any day! Wish us luck, I hope we win all our games.
I’ve never been a huge fan of Qurbani meat and have never been able to eat meat from the newly slaughtered goat/cow whatever. Now that I don’t live in Pakistan, this is an experience I’m quite happy to miss out on!
That said, your kababs sound delicious. I’ve heard of merguez sausage but have never had it. No reason to miss out on the flavors any more!
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Freshly slaughtered anything is something I can’t eat! I remember at my grandmas house in India, they’d slaughter chicken for dinner and it was always chewy and stringy, eew. These merguez were wonderful, make some if you get the chance.
Love the spice notes in this kebabs! Great pairing with couscous 🙂
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I can’t believe it is snowing already. Good luck to Laith with his two days of soccer – that’s quite an event. My Alfie starts rock climbing this afternoon. It’s 39C (102.2F) here today so we’re living different extremes! I found all the information in your post very interesting but I hope you don’t mind me mentioning that in the Old Testament, Abraham’s son is named Isaac. When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his one and only son, He was allowing him to experience what God himself would, in the fullness of time, do – sacrifice His one and only Son. I hope you enjoy your Holy time xx
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Hi Charlie, my goodness Alfie is rock climbing! Laith tried that once but he’s not very good! I am sure Alfie enjoys that since he always seems to be up in trees!
And I don’t mind at all, you are absolutely right, the Biblical story does have Isaac as the sacrifice and not Ishmael. However, according to Islam, Abraham’s first born, Ishmael, was the sacrifice. I should’ve written according to Muslims and not Biblical because we do differ in opinion there. Also, in Islam, Abraham is known as the father of religion. He instilled the ideology of only one God and his obedience, trust and belief in one God is what we honour him for. In Islam, we only believe in one God. We follow and respect prophets as messengers and we believe in the books and the angels. We do not worship anyone but God, and do not enjoin any name or being to Him.
I am sure there are differences in our stories and opinions, after all, it’s not meant to be easy, it is religion after all! xx
That was a wonderful story. I have never had the traditions explained to me as well as you have done in this article. I am very grateful for the knowledge and new understanding I now have.
The recipe also looks so delicious! I love the spicy and aromatic flavours, I will have to try this tonight. I have been feeling like something tasty. What do you put in your cous cous for flavour?
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Oh Naznee, the look and the sound of these kabobs are awesome, I love the spices in it…I can almost taste it.
Love the pictures…so tempting.
Thanks for the recipe and hope you are having a wonderful week 😀
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Hi Nazneen – sorry, it wasn’t super clear… does it mean you will actually make the pilgrimage this year? I enjoyed reading your description though – My wife’s parents were visiting us last year during Eid ul Adha… we went to a big Arabic market in Paris and it was such a nice atmosphere… so busy and colourful and lots of people at the butchers buying their lamb!
Enjoy the festive time, and take care! 🙂
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Oh..no. We won’t be going anywhere! It’s way to expensive and we are not to the point of going yet. I would love to but it’s not happening this year. I haven’t been in an Islamic country for Eid in years. It is a great feeling at holiday times to experience that. I am glad you were able to see the festivities with your in laws. Thanks so much for the wishes, Charles.
Thank you so much for elaborating the significance and steps of the holy pilgrim of Muslims! Appreciate your hard work in putting all the info together.
Killer Kebab pictures indeed 🙂
Touch of Harissa and fennel seeds sounds genuinely interesting and inviting.
Enjoyed your post thoroughly ♥
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I love this sausage and have been wanting to learn how to make it at home. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe — it sounds fantastic! I’m going to pin it and give it a try soon.:)
Nancy/SpicieFoodie recently posted..Beef, Broccoli and Kimchi
Nice write up, didn’t know many facts of Eid Ul adha! I love kebabs and these look so delish and easy. Great recipe using Harissa!
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Nothing hits the spot like a good kebab. So glad you decided to stay away from the offal LOL, I totally hate the stuff. Even the fancy stuff like Foie gras… yuck. Id have these kebabs any day though.
*kisses* H
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These kebabs sound amazing, Nazneen! Sausage or kebabs, they look quite spcylicious!!! I just wish it was me devouring them. Have a great week, dear!
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peace and happiness to you too Nazneen, I found your post highly interesting and love the insight into your religion.
I too don’t think I could do offal for breakfast!! It’s just too much first thing in the morning.
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The kebabs with that couscous sound wonderful and those flavors really amazing.
I loved reading your informative post and almost felt getting transported back in time and virtually seeing everything happen before my eyes. Very well written Nazneen and thanks a lot for sharing 🙂
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This was a well-written, informative post, Nazneen. Thank you so much for taking the time to explain these holy days and customs to us. I learn so much when you do.
These kabobs sound wonderful and very flavorful. I stopped making sausage links several years ago in favor of patties and haven’t looked back. I bet a Merquez patty sandwich would be fantastic!!! 🙂
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Nazneen, it’s always so interesting to read about your culture and rituals. I too feel blessed be exposed to an environment where most of the cleaning and prep has been taken care of…as a child I was quite sensitive to this and still am. I made something so similar yesterday that your post made me smile. We are in a festival mode at the moment..Durga Puja, our main festival is round the corner and I’ve been inspired to make all sorts of Indian appetizers for our get togethers. The kebabs look totally delicious. And the spice paste is mindblowing..I can’t wait to use it!
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Really informative post! And excellent recipe. I’ve made my own merguez mixture before – it’s a lot of fun, and so tasty. Yours looks excellent. Good stuff – thanks.
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I always love these insights into your faith, it’s so fascinating! I, like you though, could not handle all the offal. I’ll never forget when I went out to a very fancy restaurant with my parents as a young child (I must have been 4 or 5 – they took me everywhere) and my dad ordered crumbed lambs brains. After ascertaining that yes, he did just order the brains of a lamb to eat for his meal, I burst into tears, unable to comprehend why anyone would eat (of all things) the brains of such a sweet little animal. I’m, thankfully, a bit older and wiser now, but have never had the stomach for offal and have never tried lambs brains :p
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You know, brains aren’t too bad. They have no taste really and once you spice them up, they’re quite tasty. The texture is a bit soft and I guess that’s the part you have to decide whether you like or not!
tender and perfectly juicy kebabs….we just loved the use of harissa paste,will make it so much more delectable…all those spice powders and ingredients will give a wonderful flavor ….a fragrant and tempting dish 🙂
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Thanks Kumar! They were quite flavourful and made a great sandwich the next day.
I love sausage… I have to try it for breakfest one day. Thanks for sharing your Islamic knowledge. You provided some great information about Islam in your post 🙂
Thanks Kat! And you’re welcome 🙂
beautifully spiced! I would not be keen on sheeps brains either.
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Thanks Holly! Brains are ok, it’s all the other stuff I have an issue with!!
That’s some great things I got to know. One of our friends is going to Mecca, and they are so excited.
Interesting facts.
I know how you feel about all the parts..the guts and all. Never was a big fan and I don’t think I will ever be. This kabab though, look great, sure tasted good.
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Thanks Asha! Lucky friends, it’s a trip of a life time for us.
We are similar in one way – I don’t like to see my food alive either. Long back, I witnessed a ‘goat’ sacrifice during Kali Puja…I knew it was done and I went in knowing what I would see. But it left me so distressed that I wished they would find an alternative. And believe it or not, the head priest of that temple it seems had a dream the following year where he was ‘instructed’ not to sacrifice animals anymore. There has been no more animal sacrifices in that temple any more, they use certain kinds of vegetables instead. I don’t like to think it’s related, but then distress over certain things gets relayed in different ways I guess….
Thank you for sharing this….it’s so unfair to see such a spectacular dish on a Sat morning! It’s our no meat day.
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The spice list n these kebabs is impressive – the fennel/clove/cumin combo sounds so intriguing.
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Thanks Shashi! I loved the spices too and they were so fragrant when cooked up.
Your explanations about the Muslim holidays are always so clear, I really enjoy reading about them. I’m not sure I could face all that offal first thing in the morning either! I love merguez sausages, they’re something that particularly reminds me of holidays in France. I’d never thought of making them, now I have to have a go. GG
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Thank you GG. I’m never sure whether anyone is interested but I’d like people to understand and know the positives. Islam is always interpreted in the most negative light these days but we acknowledge the Biblical stories and traditions a lot, just wanted others to realise that. I’m glad at least you enjoy reading about it xx
Really unique and interesting, i love to have that for dinner.
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Thanks cquek!