Thursday, October 11, 2007

Klecha w Hawayej w Habbat Soda..

A very good friend of mine, who is still in Bghadad sent me a text msg this morning.. she said : im making Klecha, and I remembered what great Klecha you used to make..
Actually, she meant my mom.. mom was really good at making things.. everything.. cooking special dishes, setting special dinners, sewing elegant costumes (right out of el Burda – the famous magazine back at Baghdad) .. making great Klecha was one of many many talents..
The day of Klecha was a special day.. though I now remember it with nostalgia, I used to see it as a day of work, work and more work back then in Baghdadna,..
Of course, she would announce the Day of Klecha about a week earlier, as we approach the last week of Ramadan, or the last week before Eid el Adha, and though we all looked forward to taste the delicious specialty of Happy events, we (me and my sisters) all had on our minds the loooong hours of working in the hot kitchen, checking the oven and checking on the Sewanee, I don’t know why I cant forget the stifling heat of the kitchen..
On Klecha day, my mom would be up early (as always), we come down from our rooms to find her already into the Ajeen process..as our kitchen cupboards were a bit high, she would be sitting on her knees with a very Large Nejana in front of her (the size of the nejana always helped us predict how many hours we were supposed to stay in the kitchen that day, the bigger the longer !! I always loved to do the Ajeen process, I loved the smell of the dough , but of course she would never let me do that as she used to say my hands are too small and weak to do things right.. we were to sit in the kitchen (no one to go upstairs, we should wait for her politely) till she finished, then she would start giving each one of us the assignment required ( A, take out the Joz, the Festiq and the sugar, pour them into the bowl, I will be with u to make the Hashwa) , (M, take out the Sewanee Fafon and pour some oil into them), (Y, get the Shebak and please put an apron on) .. I always hated these small parts.. but she was the leader and no one dared but to obey the orders.. then we would stand next to each other in front of the looong pale green deeelab, and start making the shapes of each kind, Klechat el Tamor, we used to make it like a swiss roll , and then stamp it with the oold wooden Qalab of mom, something old from her hometown (Mosul), to print a design of flowers on each Klechaya, Klechat el Joz was like half a circle, and the endsd we used to Nothforha in a beautiful design that also mom taught us.. and finally decorated with the flowers stamp, as for Klechat Sada (that was my favorite, she would add Hawayej to it or sometimes Habbat Soda, to give it more taste.. after standing for hours working on the endless small pieces of Klecha, the small pieces of dough we then were allowed to shape as we pleased, we had plastc Qawalib in the shape of rabbits, kittens and Katakeet, kept from days of childhood, I would then laughingly use them, just for fun..
The heat in the kitchen then would be incredible, we would be exhausted and bored and complaining about why should we make all this endless quantities of Klecha? We would only eat little of it, why not buy Jahza men el Sough etc.. but our complaints never mattered..my mom would answer them with a reprimanding look, mom always had to make Klecha herself , the quantity always had to be large.. and the Balamat had to be FULL.. Our Khottar always praised mom for the great taste of her Klecha..she took great pride in her Klecha but she would reply nonchalntly with a her beautiful smile : Oooh, Aadee.. just the same as ev year.. we in Mosul always made it like this ..
Its strange, mom now never makes Klecha.. the Eid feels different..its not about missing Klecha, its about missing a whole era.. another time , another life.. mom now Does buy Jahez men el Sough.. any kind of cake or pastry would do.. to serve when Khottar visit (if any ever shows up) ..i myself never was interested in making Klecha.. but its just a reminder of Eid in Baghdad.. a Must..
But Klecha in Baghdad is till made, as my friend 's text tells.. perhaps I should take this a s a sign , maybe one day the good days Will return, and I Would make Klecha in Bghadad..
just for the sake of Eid, lets be optimistic for once..
Ayyamkom Saeeda..

13 comments:

Little Penguin said...

Ayamich sa3eeda Yasmin..

God I can't believe how incredibly you write.. the words on my screen are made alive and I just sit back to watch them dance and act out the events you talk about.. I even faintly smelt some klechat tamor..

I remember sitting and watching the process of mixing the dough and filling the qallaba.. god it was such fun.. the best bit was smashing the qallaba onto the seeniya and squinting at how loud the pang was.. I think we used to have like secret contests as to who could produce the loudest pang without getting told off, in the name of making klecha.. dear o dear.. it feels like a century ago..

Yasmin, please write more often.. you'd be surprised at how enjoyable it is to sit in the college library and try to look normal whilst grinning like a baby at the same time so that no-one thinks I'm surfing indecent websites..

Ayamich Saeeda o inshallah in a few years time I'll be one of many khottar who'll taste your great, great klecha..

Regards..

Najma said...

I second little penguin, I too will come and taste your great klecha :D

I for one, have had the usual ritual of making klecha with mom and grandma like every year, here in my house in Mosul.. and the only joy I get is when I see it all done, it's such hard work indeed.

I wish there was a way we could swap lives for a day maybe, you come see your beloved country, and I get to feel free; not from having to make klecha BTW ;)

Eid Mubarak you two..

BOOKISH said...

I am surprised at your words above.again
كل عام وانت بالف الف خير
you are half moslawi!!
I should have known

"we in Mosul always made it like this "
I completely agree with her
plz:
سلميلي على امك وقلليلا كل عام وانت بخير

best regards

A&Eiraqi said...

Yasmiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin
Welcome back
We missed you
"Its strange, mom now never makes Klecha.. the Eid feels different..its not about missing Klecha, its about missing a whole era.. another time , another life"

Well; I'm away from my family so even if they do, I won't taste it.

لا تهيجين الجروح و عاد يبنية ارعوي و لآ تذكرنيني بهلي و طيبة هواهم ترة الفركة جوت كلبي جوي

Regards

3eeraqimedic said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Yasmin (Blanche) said...

Dear Little Penguin,
w Ayyamak.. Inshallah tahqiq el Amanee.. ameen..
Yr welcome is so warm, im overwhelmed, thank u that was so kind.. indeed i did not think my posts did really bring so much joy, im more than falttered.. alf shokor.. Inshallah i will try to write more often.. u do that too.. regards and best wishes..

Yasmin (Blanche) said...

dear Najma,
Wallahe i know what u mean.. blv me, being away does not make us unaware of what ppl in iraq are suffering..
i wish u a Happy Eid, and may aaaall yr dreams come true.. ameen..
Pls keep visiting..regards..

Yasmin (Blanche) said...

dear Bookish,
Ayyamak Seeda..
yes im hald maslawi..( قتّولا).. but unfortunately im not good in the Maslawi dialect, veeery poor maslawi i have.. !! when i do try to make a whole sentence my mother asks me to stop cause im in fact Ruining the dialect..!!
thanks for yr sweet words.. take care..

Yasmin (Blanche) said...

dear a&e iraqi,
im sorry that my post brought sad memories and i know how u feel almost alone in Eid..i ve been this many many years before Ahli couild join me..in fact the Eid seasons used to b depressing mostly..
the day will come when u r united w yr parents and family.. inshallah Qareeban.. ameen.. we r all lonely and strangers in this wild world called Ghurba..
take care pls..

Yasmin (Blanche) said...

dear 3eeraqi Medic,
thanks to U for making me write again.. i know i ve been away from blog world for so long.. sometimes even memories wich r meant to be happy ones bring along the sadest feeling of being LONELy , even w ahal around.. we all know it is NOT Baladna.. no matter how long the yrs..
I wish for a happy dream , may Allah bring allll (sodogh irakieen) happiness and joy and Rahat el Bal.. allahoma Ameen..
alf shokor for yr kindness..and warmth..the Iraqi warmth i miss aaaaall the time..
Domtee be Kher..

BOOKISH said...

hello yasmin

this is my friend comment
he insisted on adding his comment, but unfortunately he's not a blogger
so he used my name
""if the net had the ability of transporting things, i would send you a klecha, (sada), BTW."""

Yasmin (Blanche) said...

dear Bookish & freind,

Thank youuuuu so much.. I would Love to have a Klecha Sada, reeeally miss it..
thanks for visiting and adding yr sweet words..
Regards..
PS: u dont have to b a blogger to b able to send comments, u just need a google account ..

mewmewmew said...

I remember sitting and watching the process of mixing the dough and filling the qallaba.. god it was such fun.. the best bit was smashing the qallaba onto the seeniya and squinting at how loud the pang was.. I think we used to have like secret contests as to who could produce the loudest pang without getting told off, in the name of making klecha.. dear o dear.. it feels like a century ago..




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