Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets (Part 2 of 7)
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Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
For bread, you can have various Turkish pizzas (pide) with meat or cheese fillings. Since they are prepared in advance, they aren't as good as when they come straight out of the oven, but I still think they taste great.
Besides that, the stews are very rich. I highly recommend the Ottoman specialty vegetable rolls (sarma), which can be wrapped in grape leaves or cabbage. This is a classic Iftar food from the former Ottoman region. Sarma means 'wrapped' in Turkish, and this method is a type of traditional Ottoman stuffed dish (dolma). In winter, cabbage was the main vegetable for Ottoman farmers. People would wrap meat filling and rice in cabbage to eat, which is very delicious.
There are several different flavors of Ottoman pastry dessert (baklava). Baklava originated in the Ottoman imperial kitchens of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. Every year during Ramadan, the Ottoman Sultan would gift baklava on trays to the Janissaries, a ceremony known as the Baklava Procession (Baklava Alayı). Baklava in the Azerbaijan region usually contains almonds or walnuts and is cut into diamond shapes. It is a classic dessert for Iftar.
2. Pakistani restaurant Khan Baba
After tasting Ottoman-style food at the first stop, Dardanelles, the second stop is to try some Mughal specialties. Khan Baba is the first Pakistani restaurant I ever visited, and it has been over ten years now. They have a very good atmosphere, and every meal there is comforting. Having an Iftar buffet at Khan Baba is also a must-do every Ramadan.
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Beijing Ramadan Iftar — Five International Buffets is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Every year during Ramadan, having an Iftar buffet at one of the foreign restaurants in Beijing is a regular tradition for me. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Iftar, Ramadan Food, Halal Buffets while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
For bread, you can have various Turkish pizzas (pide) with meat or cheese fillings. Since they are prepared in advance, they aren't as good as when they come straight out of the oven, but I still think they taste great.
Besides that, the stews are very rich. I highly recommend the Ottoman specialty vegetable rolls (sarma), which can be wrapped in grape leaves or cabbage. This is a classic Iftar food from the former Ottoman region. Sarma means 'wrapped' in Turkish, and this method is a type of traditional Ottoman stuffed dish (dolma). In winter, cabbage was the main vegetable for Ottoman farmers. People would wrap meat filling and rice in cabbage to eat, which is very delicious.
There are several different flavors of Ottoman pastry dessert (baklava). Baklava originated in the Ottoman imperial kitchens of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. Every year during Ramadan, the Ottoman Sultan would gift baklava on trays to the Janissaries, a ceremony known as the Baklava Procession (Baklava Alayı). Baklava in the Azerbaijan region usually contains almonds or walnuts and is cut into diamond shapes. It is a classic dessert for Iftar.
2. Pakistani restaurant Khan Baba
After tasting Ottoman-style food at the first stop, Dardanelles, the second stop is to try some Mughal specialties. Khan Baba is the first Pakistani restaurant I ever visited, and it has been over ten years now. They have a very good atmosphere, and every meal there is comforting. Having an Iftar buffet at Khan Baba is also a must-do every Ramadan.
