Hyderabad has some popular dishes which are savoured specifically
during particular Islamic months. The most famous of these is the haleem, which
for a food lover is the highlight of the month of Ramzan. A specially baked
cookie Dum ke Roat is another such item which is a rage during this month of
Muharram.
There is a reason that the baked cookie is associated with
Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. Roat was traditionally a homemade cookie with
wheat, sugar, and ghee. It is said that Mir Osman Ali Khan, the Seventh Nizam
had offered the roat at Naal-E-Mubarak Alam at Pathergatti for the well-being
of his grandson. Since then, many Shia Muslims have this practice of
distributing roat during this particular month, praying for the well-being of
their family. The demand is maximum around the tenth day of the month when the
mourning procession of Muharram is taken out in the city.
Flavourful Dum ke Roat has a special taste, with a crunchy crust
and soft inside. The ingredients of Dum Ke Roat are many – it has semolina,
wheat flour, sugar, honey...