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 and milk as well as ghee. The cookie has a distinct
flavour from the cardamom added to it and is usually topped with an almond.
This
bakery whose name comes up immediately as you talk about Dum Ke Roat is Subhan
Bakery. The bakery has been credited with popularizing the cookie over the last
45 years. Come Muharram, you can find customers waiting patiently in huge
queues from the morning in front of their outlet in Nampally for their share of
Dum Ke Roat. As per Syed Irfan the owner of the seventy-year-old bakery, they
have a special recipe developed at their home which they use to prepare these
cookies. Earlier this delicacy was only available during this month, but due to
the high demand for the roat they have now made it available at their outlet
from Muharram to Ramzan. A few other bakeries in Hyderabad like Pista House and
Karachi Bakery and some small outlets in the Old City prepare this delicacy too.
Dum ke Roat has now been embraced by one and all enjoying
the patronage of people of all religions, castes, and creed. The item should not
be confused with another popular dish from Chennai, the Dum Ka Roat Halwa from
Basha Halwawala, which is essentially a halwa prepared from semolina, khoya,
and dry fruits. With the month of Muharram setting in, do grab a pack of this
favourite cookie from Hyderabad.
Note: This is an updated version of the article originally published in New Indian Express Hyderabad on 22nd September 2018.
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