Turkish cultural group hosts Iftar dinners at Pitt

While the national debate continues over an Islamic community center planned two blocks away… While the national debate continues over an Islamic community center planned two blocks away from Ground Zero in New York City, members of Pittsburgh’s Muslim and Turkish communities are hosting open dinners at Pitt to celebrate Ramadan and illuminate their customs.

The Turkish Cultural Center Pittsburgh is coordinating Iftar dinners, which run through Saturday on the Cathedral’s southern lawn.

Together with a number of sponsors, the center coordinated a two-week effort to provide nightly meals to local Turkish families and curious community members. The dinners, which began Aug. 17, are a part of many Muslims’ annual Ramadan traditions, organizers said, and they offer an opportunity for communities like Oakland to better understand both Islam and secular aspects of Turkish culture.

Ramadan began at sunset Aug. 12 in North America, and the cultural center’s dinner tent went up five days later. Chefs at Lezzett, the new Turkish restaurant on Semple Street, provide traditional dishes like yogurt soup and simmered beef over rice for the series.

Ramadan ends a few days after the tent comes down, on Sept. 9. During the holiday, observant Muslims abstain from food, drink and sensual pleasures during the daylight hours. Then, at sunset, the tradition is to gather with family and friends and break the fast with a variety of dishes and customs.

Pitt students and people of all faiths are welcome to join the dinners, which have drawn as many as 200 people to campus per night. Non-Muslims are not expected to fast prior to the meal, though organizers said doing so is a great way to experience an important aspect of Islamic culture.

“When you have spent the day fasting and trying to be pure of heart, and you hear the call to prayer, you get a very powerful feeling,” said Osman Gunham, a Pittsburgh resident and cultural center member. “And then comes the food and the baklava and the conversation. You must experience it.”

Hasan Ozcan helps run Nema Foods,a local halal meat company that is co-sponsoring the dinners. He reflected on that feeling during one of the Iftar meals this weekend.

His company imported ingredients from Turkey and took great care to observe all halal customs. In Islam, the term “Halal” is used to describe which foods can and cannot be eaten, similar to the concept of “kosher” in Judaism. The code also dictates the proper method of slaughtering an animal for consumption.

“Many people have joined us to break their Ramadan fasts so far, and many more have come because they are curious,” Ozcan said. “In Turkey, these dinners often help feed struggling families during a holy time, but here we are serving a little different purpose. We want to start conversation.”

That conversation is an important one for Pittsburgh’s small but growing Turkish community, Ozcan said. He estimated that about 300 families and a larger number of students at local Universities like Pitt, Carnegie Mellon and Chatham have settled in Pittsburgh.

“The numbers make community isolation all too easy,” Oczan said. “That is why these events are so important. We hold food nights and coffee nights and friendship dinners throughout the year to get to know our neighbors.”

As Ozcan spoke, the large tent quickly filled to capacity. Organizers directed guests to nearly a dozen banquet tables already laden with the evening’s first course: dates and yogurt soup.

“It is tradition to break the fast with a date,” Oczan said, hefting a handful of the bruised fruits.

One CMU student who attended Saturday’s dinner described the practice of fasting for Ramadan.

“It is not very difficult, because you learn it from your childhood,” said Emre Esenturk, who is pursuing a Ph.D. “The harder part, I think, is refraining from anger and gossip and other poor behaviors. If you only fast and still behave poorly, you only achieve the shell.”

Esenturk said the meal’s second course, spiced beef served with rice, is among his favorite Iftar dishes.

“A Turkish lady could tell you better what exactly is in this food and how you make it, but it is a perfect dish for Iftar,” Esenturk said. “We want balanced food, and we want to share it.”