The month of Ramadan is characterized by the time of suhoor, which brings friends and family together in comfortable and enjoyable gatherings. For some fasting individuals, it is an unmissable time for prayer and a quiet break after a long day. However, amid power outages in Lebanon, this time now passes with a heaviness in the heart and in an ordinary manner, lacking notable preparations. The supply of electricity by generator owners in residential areas ends just before midnight, leading most Lebanese to return home before 11 PM, the time the generators are turned off.
Meat pastries have become a rare dish at suhoor tables. Abu Nabil, whom we met at a supermarket in Beirut, said he spends suhoor by candlelight. "I go to a nearby shop to buy quantities of candles, with a pack costing 40,000 Lebanese pounds (approximately 25,000 pounds per dollar) for 500 grams. Our days and customs have changed significantly, which is saddening, and no one listens to us or understands our shock." The rise in prices of essential ingredients such as cheese, grains, and flour has contributed to a decrease in families paying attention to suhoor.
These products are basic elements of suhoor tables, as they are nutritious and used in pastries and dishes needed by the fasting individuals. A quick tour of some cafes and restaurants in Lebanon reveals that most are crowded with reservations for iftar tables, while suhoor is completely absent due to the control of generator owners over the neighborhoods and their residents. Ismail, who works in a cafe in the Sudikoh area, explains to "Asharq Al-Awsat": "The streets and roads in Beirut empty starting from 10:30 PM. Everyone rushes home before the generators are shut off. It is a great surprise when Electricité du Liban provides us with an hour or two of power during these times. Therefore, we decided to close the cafe early, as customers who come to us after 10 PM are few."
The problem of power outages in Lebanon is a fundamental factor in erasing many traditions during the holy month and affects the daily lifestyle of people. Jana, a mother of three living in Al-Mazraa, believes that electricity rationing has led her to avoid stocking some food ingredients in the fridge. "In the past, when we opened the fridge, we would wonder what to take out to prepare iftar and suhoor dishes. Today, the fridge has become an empty cabinet, and we sometimes forget to open it for an entire day. The power cuts and the rising prices of meat and vegetables have turned our fridges into non-functional accessories." Mohamed, a delivery worker, comments: "Generator owners currently control our entire lifestyle. I find it very difficult to deliver some orders throughout the day because the hours of these generators vary from one region to another. When my work ends and I plan to smoke a shisha and have a light suhoor meal with my friends, I prepare myself in advance for the trip back home, climbing the stairs. I live on the sixth floor in a building in Mar Elias, and the generator owner shuts it off at 11 PM."
Suhoor dishes feature stewed fava beans and "hummus bilila," and pastries take many forms including cheese rolls, sambousek, and vegetable pies. Samira Hamoud, an employee at a clothing store, notes that even the fava bean dish she used to prepare with cheese slices for suhoor has become difficult to secure due to rising prices of vegetables, grains, and cheese. She tells "Asharq Al-Awsat": "This dish is essential on the suhoor table during Ramadan. To enjoy its taste, it should be accompanied by vegetables such as parsley, radish, green onions, and tomatoes. Today, I now eat it 'dry' without any vegetables, as I can barely nibble on a cucumber, which has reached 40,000 pounds per kilogram. I have completely forgotten about cheese pastries because a dozen of frozen ones exceeds 45,000 pounds."
In some neighborhoods of Beirut, a few cafes persist in opening their doors for suhoor, offering a limited selection of food items such as thyme and cheese pastries, in addition to meat pies. These fast meals are accompanied by some juices or traditional Ramadan sweets like kllaaj and knefeh with cheese. Samer, who works in a cafe, observes that most of his customers come to him shortly after iftar and just before suhoor to gather around a cup of tea with potato cakes or thyme pastries due to their reasonable costs. He continues for "Asharq Al-Awsat": "In the past, Lebanese people celebrated suhoor in a traditional manner, dedicating a long time for it, smoking shisha, and enjoying a rich table with various dishes, including stewed fava beans, monk's salad, meat pastries, chickpea fatteh, and other nutritious dishes. Today, that scene has completely disappeared due to power outages and rising prices."
