PRI: Public Radio International

Haleem a Ramadan food that crosses religious boundaries in India

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 13:16:00 -0500

Ramadan just ended and with it the period of daylight fasting observed by most Muslims around the world. In India especially, the fast is often broken with a dish called haleem, a sort of meat porridge that manages to bridge the religious divide and appeal to all manners of Indians.

Sheena

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 12:34:36 -0500

I love that PRI tries to ensure that there is abundant diversity in its stories.
But unfortunately, I think your statement "In India, one of the most celebrated and popular religious dishes is a meat delicacy called haleem" is inaccurate.
<Nitpicking rant follows>
India is such a cacophony of diversity that you simply can't generalise, even when it comes to cuisines. There are definitely some Indian dishes to which your above statement holds true but not in the case of Haleem. People from states like Kerala or Gujarat have no idea what haleem is. It is extremely popular in the city of Hyderabad - but that's just one city in one state in India.

JRH

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 16:27:36 -0500

Is Thanksgiving really a religious holiday in the US? "Across the world there are are foods we associate with religious holidays. In the United States, it's probably Turkey on Thanksgiving."