“Come, welcome,” says Mariem M’Souli, as she ushers her guests into her three-bedroom unit in Sydney’s Bass Hill, where the aroma of spices fill the air. Inside, slanted rays of sunlight slice through the lace curtains and onto the kitchen bench, where a tomato and onion shlada (salad) is being prepared for today’s Eid al-Adha feast.
Mariem, who hails from Morocco, says Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, is one of the most significant celebrations on the Islamic calendar. “A day like today reminds me about the importance of being part of a family. Yes, Eid al-Adha is about the food, the intricate flavours and special dishes, but it is also about the simple act of spending time together preparing the food with your family,” says Mariem, who arrived in Sydney in 1996. “Eid al-Adha is a religious day for Muslims. It’s a happy, peaceful day. It’s part of Islamic lore and is a very big moment for all Muslims, not just Moroccans, as the celebrations coincide with the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, the Hajj,” says Mariem.
The clatter and clang of pots and pans started the day before, as preparations for the feast began. Today, soft murmurs emanate from the kitchen as Mariem and her sister Kabira, who is visiting from Morocco, and her friend Fatiha El Biyed intuitively weave around each other in their flowing kaftans, chopping herbs, skewering cubes of meat and peering into the couscoussier pot.
Early this morning, the women rose with the sun, joining thousands of Muslims at Sydney Olympic Park, which morphed into an outdoor mosque for the event.
Back at Bass Hill, Mariem’s brother Semo M’Souli stoops over a charcoal fire in the small courtyard, grilling lamb and liver skewers. Semo, a chef at Semo’s Modern Moroccan Cuisine in Mooloolaba, is joined by his Sri Lankan-born wife, Jawan, and their children, Ayesha and Tariq. “Today is a big day for us and the food is a big part of that,” says Semo, who arrived in Australia in 1991. “I love the togetherness of the event and being part of a ceremonial occasion like this with my family is very important to me.”
As the day rolls on, Hassan, the oldest brother of the M’Souli clan, arrives. The cookbook author and executive chef at Manly’s celebrated Out of Africa restaurant migrated to Australia in 1985. He says it made him happy when one of his four sisters and his brother made the move from Casablanca, on the Atlantic Coast. “In our culture, food comes first. It comes before the clothes, before the language, and is like a history lesson on a plate,” says Hassan, whose book Make It Moroccan was awarded the Best in the World – African Cuisine Category at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Paris in 2010.
“Today is a day to be humble. As well as honouring ancient customs, it’s a time for families to be soft to each other,” says Hassan, who received a letter from the King of Morocco that said he had made his country proud. “The migration of Moroccans to Australia has been like grains of sand, slowly forming a mountainous dune. Celebrating Eid al-Adha brings back memories of Morocco,” he says.
As the table becomes crowded with platters and tagines of varying sizes, a circle of fresh-baked bread is passed around, and, after the blessing – Bismillah! (In the name of Allah) – the room hums with conversation.
Mariem’s daughter, Sarah El Ghazi, fills her plate with slow-braised lamb, saffron-stained couscous, sweet and salty mrouzia (lamb tagine with stewed fruits) and the garlic-spiked shlada.“Mum, can you pass the tomato sauce?” asks Sarah. Mariem rolls her eyes and laughs at this intertwining of cultures: “She has tomato sauce with everything!”
Feast of Sacrifice
While the traditional Feast of Sacrifice ritual of slaughtering a lamb is still observed in Morocco, Hassan says most Muslims living in Australia now purchase their meat the modern way – from the butcher. “As the community grows, we see the traditions change. We have to adapt our customs to life in Australia,” says Hassan, who met his wife, Najma Elyounsi, a Moroccan journalist and fashion designer, at his Sydney restaurant. As well as attending a special prayer service and fasting the day prior to the celebration, Hassan says Muslims are expected to perform acts of compassion, give children gifts and wear nice, new clothes. “Today, we are united as one. It’s a special day and it’s these rituals that remind us of growing up in Morocco,” he says. Sitting in the living room, holding her hand aloft and waiting for the henna to dry is 10-year-old Ayesha M’Souli, beaming with pride at the pretty, swirling patterns. Fatiha El Biyed says the women love to paint henna on their hands as it adds a sense of occasion. Mint tea and mhancha (a sweet almond pastry) are also commonly served at the end of a gathering.
The Hajj and Eid Al-Adha
Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of the Sacrifice (also known as the Festival of Sacrifice), comes at the end of the Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. The pilgrimage is one of the largest single gatherings on the planet and according the M’Soulis’ family friend Ramadan Dkhil, it is about sacrificing “what we love for God’s sake”. The
Hajj is more than an act of faith, it’s a religious duty and every able-bodied Muslim who is financially capable is required to perform the Hajj at least once in their lifetime. Once pilgrims have completed the Hajj – which can only be performed during the last month of the Islamic year (Dhu al-Hijja) – they then join in the global festival of Eid Al-Adha. Ramadan says although the day is primarily a religious celebration, it is also eagerly anticipated as a social event. “It’s important to remember the origins of this tradition. As the story goes, God tested Abraham, directing him to sacrifice Ishmael, his first-born son.
At the very last moment, God stepped in and allowed Abraham to sacrifice a lamb instead,” he says. “It is customary for families to invite friends into their home on this day. It’s a great honour to be invited to share this feast and for all of us to feel connected to the Muslims who are making the pilgrimage to Mecca,” says Ramadan, who migrated to Australia in 1989.
Photography Tom Donald.
As seen in Feast magazine, October 2014, Issue 36.
