Dum-ke-Roat is back

Hyderabad’s hottest, traditional confectionary is relished by people of all faiths in this season

Yes, the flavour of the season is back. It’s time to indulge in the sweet-baked treat. Dum-ke-Roat, the traditional Hyderabadi cookie, has swamped the market with the advent of Muharram, the first month of Islamic calendar. It is the fastest moving item during the month and occupies the pride of place in bakeries across the city. Like Haleem, which has come to be associated with Ramzan, the month of fasting, Dum-ke-Roat is the hottest confectionary during Muharram, the month of mourning for the Shias.

Religious significance apart, people of all faiths eagerly wait to relish this seasonal delicacy. But this time round, Roat lovers have to shell down slightly more to enjoy the crusty fare.

Major bakeries have priced it at Rs. 440 per kg, forty rupees more than the previous year. “We are left with no option but to raise the price in view of rise in the prices of ghee and dry fruits,” says Syed Irfan of Subhan Bakery at Nampally. However the rush at this popular bakery shows that people do not mind the hike as long as the quality is assured. “I wait the whole year to taste Roat and I don’t mind paying more,” says Arshad Ayub, a software techie.

Many bakeries witness a dip in the sale of other products during Muharram as Roat dominates the scene. The demand peaks on the 10th of Muharram, which marks the ‘Youm-e-Ashoora’. On this day the traditional ‘'Bibi-ka-Alam’ procession is taken out on a caparisoned elephant from Bibi-ka-Alawa in Dabeerpura to Chaderghat. The seventh Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, is believed to have offered Roat to the ‘Nala-e-Mubarak’ Alam near Charminar for the safety and well-being of his grandson, Mukarram Jah Bahadur. This practice continues till date and people who take a vow for the safety of their wards break the Roat on the Alam and distribute it to others. A wide range of items go into the making of Roat. The main ingredients are: wheat flour, sooji (semolina), vegetable oils, sugar, honey, clarified butter, salt, and cardamom and milk products.

For added flavour it is decked with dry fruits such as almonds, cashew nuts, pista and saffron. But getting all these in the right proportion is the most important aspect. The duration of baking is what lends that brownish look while making it crunchy from outside and soft within. What’s more, Roat is made of pure ghee and is 100 percent vegetarian.

So why not tickle the taste buds with it?



Religious significance apart, people of all faiths eagerly wait to relish this seasonal delicacy

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in The Hindu

Dated October 21,2015