Ya nafs ma teshtay means you get what you wish to eat in English. It is the name of the event we have on the day before Ramadan – the month of fasting. We make many kinds of foods, sweets, drinks, and coffee for this event; then we meet with our family and friends to eat and to talk. We spend the day together in order to make it a special day of the year.
In this day we get a lot of guests and celebrate. The day starts by reading the holy Quran; it continues with hearing (nasheed), and listening to kutbahabout Ramadan and about how priceless is time, how we should be spiritual and do good deeds. After that we continue with one of the most popular dance in Yemen: “Bara’a”. Then the men and women eat separately on the floor; some dishes are eaten with hands.
Bint alsahn – lunch food, eaten with honey on it.
Saltah – lunch food, eaten with breads while it is very hot
Hareesh – lunch food, eaten with honey and butter inside or instead with meat soup. It is eaten with fingers.
Motffayah – cooked fish to be eaten with Ruz (rice).
Ruz (rice) – we put some salad or Zahaweq on it.
Zahaweq – tomatoes which are mixed with some spices, can be eaten with breads or mixed with some other foods like Rice or Shafoot.
Shafoot – lunch food, preferred to be a little cold.
Assed – lunch food, eaten with fingers after some meat soup has been put inside.
Sanoonah – cooked fish with some spices to be eaten with breads.
Buraik – it is the kind of food eaten by hands as pieces; some prefer to eat it in the end of the lunch
Masoobah – eaten with honey and butter on it while it is hot
Khubz (breads) – main thing for Yemeni food, eaten with other dishes.
Luhooh – bread used to eat some foods by like zugni and to make some foods like Shafoot.
Basbossah – it is very sweet and eaten after meals
Sambossah – we eat this more during Ramadan. You can have some “Zahaweq” with it.
Dhamool we usually eat these with coffee or hot drinks.
Sladah (salad) – we eat it with lunch, and it is also put in shafoot and rice.
Vegetable soup – eaten hot, sometimes with breads. Preferred during Ramadan.
Rawany – before eating, it should be poured with some sugared water called “Shurop”. It is eaten mostly during Ramadan.
Shoubiah – should have some Shurop too, like Rawany.
Muraba altoffah (apple jam) – it is eaten mostly during Ramadan.
Kobz Tawah – a kind of bread, could be eaten by itself or with other dishes .
Food for Thought Mondo 