The Meals of Muhammad

The life of the prophet Muhammad did not have much to do with food. This was a man who spent much of the time eating very little, often fasting and living on nothing but dates and water. The surrounding Arabic culinary culture of the time was also simple, with few homes or tents even having a kitchen.

But Omur Akkor’s book, “Early Islamic Culinary Art,” explores this food nonetheless, and features dishes from Muhammad’s era—foods that are either mentioned in the Quran or in Islamic prophetic traditions. We're going to take a look at a few of these.

Food speaks a lot about the culture that creates it. It is a language all its own, one that tells of things like a want for comfort, a focus on simplicity, or a passion for intensity. And so, because of this, the foods of the past can tell us about where we’ve come from.

And so if you’re curious about the meals of Muhammad, let’s take a look at 8 recipes that evoke early Islamic culinary art.

Hays

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Dates were a staple of the Islamic diet in the time of Muhammad. They were said to come from Paradise, and were believed to protect from poison, magic, and parasites. They were also considered a remedy for depression. The Islamic dish called “hays” puts this important food to delicious use.

Ingredients

1 cup of dates

2 tablespoons of butter

1 cup of akit, which is a type of seed

Directions

Melt the butter in a pan on medium heat. De-seed and mince the dates, add them to the pan, and lightly fry them. Once they’re lightly fried, add the akit, and fry for a few minutes. This dish serves 4.

You can add water or milk to this versatile dish while cooking—this is called “rabika”. You can also add flour to create cookies, which can then be baked.

If you want to sample the most fundamental taste of early Islamic culture, look no further.

Khubz Ash-Sha’ir

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Bread was, of course, another staple of life during the early days of Islam. A Muslim parable likens those who spend their wealth for God’s purposes to a grain that sprouts seven ears, with every ear containing a hundred grains—this represents the way God multiplies that which is freely given in His name.

Khuz Ash-Sha’ir is, quite simply, barley bread, and is surprisingly easy to make.

Ingredients

2 pounds of barley flour

1 ½ teaspoons of salt

3 cups of water

Directions

Make dough using 1 cup of barley flour with a half cup of water, and allow it to sit for 24 hours at room temperature—this will create your yeast. After this time has passed, make more dough with the remaining water, flour, and salt, and add the yeast to the dough.

Use your hands to spread the dough, stretching and flattening until the dough is about a quarter of an inch thick. When this is done, cook the dough on a griddle or tandoor until golden brown. This recipe serves 6.

Rashta

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Lentils also held a high place in early Islamic culture, and are called “a dish of the friends of God,” capable of making the heart soft and the eyes tearful. And it’s no wonder that this food was so popular—lentils are extremely healthy, and are packed with soluble fiber and essential vitamins and minerals.

Rashta is a meal that combines lamb and lentils into a delicious dish.

Ingredients

1 pound of fatty lamb chunks

2 teaspoons of salt

2 tablespoons of butter

1 stick of cinnamon

½ cup of lentils

1 cup of boiled chickpeas

1 cup of noodles

Preparation

In a large pot, sauté lamb in butter on medium heat, and after 15 minutes, add salt, cinnamon, and enough water to cover the meat. Cook for an hour.

Once the hour has passed, add lentils and chickpeas, and continue to cook on medium for an additional 30 minutes.

Add noodles and cook for 10 more minutes. After this is done, turn off heat and allow to cool before serving. This recipe serves 4.

Garlic Fried Rice

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This is a recipe that might seem modern to our contemporary palates, but actually dates back hundreds of years. And since it’s not quite as exotic as the other dishes on this list, your whole family will likely have no qualms about digging in.

Ingredients

3 cups of chicken broth

2 tablespoons of butter

1 tablespoon of sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

1 tablespoon of vinegar

2 cups of rice

30 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon of black pepper

Directions

Pour chicken broth into a large pot with a lid, and bring to a boil while melting butter in a separate pan over medium heat.

As the chicken broth begins to boil, add in butter, sugar, salt, garlic, vinegar, and rice, and close the lid. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until rice absorbs all of the liquid.

Turn heat to low and allow mixture to simmer for 30 minutes more. When done, sprinkle with pepper and serve. This recipe serves 6.

Brewis of Lentils

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Brewis is a dry, stale form of bread that is usually paired with a broth. In early Islamic culture, it was said that it “consoles the grieving heart and cleanses the ailing heart”.

Today, you can try a variety called brewis of lentils, which combines the two foods into one delicious package.

Ingredients

5 cups of water

1 cup of lentils

1 teaspoon of salt

Stale bread

1 tablespoon of butter

1 tablespoon of sugar

Directions

After rinsing lentils, place them in a large pot with water with salt, and bring to a boil—once a boil is achieved, reduce heat to low and cook for 40 more minutes.

Place stale bread on serving plates and spread lentils on them. After this, melt butter and sugar together in a small pan, and pour over lentils. This recipe serves 4

Harisa

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It was said, in the time of Muhammad, that harisa—coarsely ground wheat—“strengthens the back for nightly worship”. And indeed, this would have been a significant source of energy-giving carbohydrates, giving a worshiper plenty of energy to make it through their nightly rituals.

This recipe is a little more complicated than the rest in this list, but the result is well worth the effort.

Ingredients

1 pound of lamb chunks

1 pound of dry wheat

10 cups of water

2 tablespoons of pepper sauce

1 tablespoon of salt

2 tablespoons of clarified butter

1 teaspoon of cumin

Directions

To begin making harisa, allow the wheat to stand in water overnight.

Once you’ve done this, place the cubed lamb chunks in a large pot of water and add salt. Cook on medium heat.

After cooking for 1 ½ hours, drain and add the wheat to the pot, and continue to cook on low heat for another hour.

When the wheat has absorbed all of the water, beat it with a wooden spoon or pestle while adding pepper sauce. Continue to beat for about an hour.

When the harisa begins to form into strands, remove from heat and pour onto a large platter. Open a hole in the middle of the harisa, into which you will pour clarified butter. Add cumin and serve—this meal will feed about 4 people.

Sikbaj Tannuriya

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Vinegar has been used as a preservative and folk-remedy for hundreds of years, and was a popular condiment in early Islamic culture. Let’s take a look at this vinegar-based Sikbaj Tannuriya recipe.

Ingredients

2 pounds of carrots

2 onions

2 pieces of leek

2 pounds of lamb chunks

½ cup of unshelled almonds cut into pieces

1 cup of dried figs

½ cup of raisins

3 cups of water

1 tablespoon of salt

1 teaspoon of coriander seeds

1 teaspoon of saffron

½ cup of date molasses

½ cup of vinegar

Directions

Chip the carrots, leeks, and onions into large pieces, and add them, as well as the meat, into a large oven-safe pot. Add almonds, raisins, and figs. Follow this the vinegar, dates, molasses, saffron, coriander seed, salt, and finally, water.

Close the lid and cook in the oven for 4 hours. This recipe serves 6 people.

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