Iraqi traditional sweets and bakery shop, Al-Rabat, during the Holy Month of Ramadan in Sharjah. (AFP/Karim Sahib)

The Taste of Ramadan Traditional Sweets Help UAE Expats to Reconnect with Their Homeland

Ramadan is the most joyous time for expatriates in the United Arab Emirates to reconnect with the traditions of their homeland. During the Holy Month, Muslims in the country enjoy the ritual of breaking the fast by taking a lot of desserts and juices.

Many migrant-owned shops provide traditional sweets which are loved by the customers while also healing the longing to their homeland with the taste of traditional sweets. Just like Nida Mohammed from Iraq, who drove with her family more than an hour from Fujairah to Sharjah just to buy special Iraqi sweets like raisin juice. Mohammed said shops like that really help her to remember the country she came from.

The owner of Al-Rabat sweets shop, Wesam Abdulwahab, where Mohammed was shopping said he opened the shop in 2006 to serve the Iraqi community. He mentioned that the Iraqis did not have special catering before his shop. People describe Al-Rabat as a place that brings them together. To bring back the childhood memories, Abdulwahab does not only provide his community with traditional cuisines but also a popular Iraqi game called Mheibes.

The tiny oil-rich country is a home for more than nine million expatriates which cover up 90% of the total population. They hail from 100 countries all over the world which enrich the cultures as well as the different traditional food that everyone can taste.