Native Dishes From Sudan And New Holiday Traditions in Connecticut
Fouad Dagoum, Kutti Dagoum, Bonnie Bayuk, Azhar Ahmed, and Lames Abdelrahman. Photo by Amar Batra for Connecticut Public Radio
Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate with family and friends and share a meal together. For many U.S. families, that means roast turkey, stuffing, cranberry, and pumpkin pie. But for some refugee families, the holiday can be a time to share native dishes and new holiday traditions.
Azhar Ahmed stood by the kitchen stove, adding the final ingredients to a fava bean dish from Sudan called Ful. “Now I put the cheese, tomato, onion, lemon, and olive oil,” she said. “This is my favorite.”
The dining room table in her New Haven apartment was set with a colorful African cloth and a Sudanese feast.
Ahmed’s 11-year-old daughter Lames described what was on the table. “Fish, eggplant, falafel, and basbousa,” which is a traditional sweet cake made from semolina, flour, sugar, oil, and topped with almonds.