Sales of handmade ‘seviyan’ (vermicelli) and dry fruits have spiked in Hyderabad, as people prepare for the Eid-ul-Fitr festival. The ingredients are used to make ‘Sheerkhurma’, a dessert that is traditionally served on the day. The dish is made with milk, sugar, cardamom, and vermicelli, and garnished with sliced almonds, pistachios, and dates. ‘Sheerkhurma’ is just one of many sweets that are made for the festival, which marks the end of Ramadan.
Local stores and markets like Begum Bazar are selling seviyan and dry fruits and are experiencing a huge rush of customers. Although machine-made vermicelli is available, people prefer the handmade variety, which is sold in parts of the Old City like Charminar, Yakutpura, and Chaderghat.
Anwar Khan’s family has been making seviyan in Chaderghat for six decades. They start preparing for the festival three months in advance and make over 22 quintals of seviyan. The family of Yousuf Khan has been in the business for 50 years near Charminar. They say that the handmade variety of seviyan is much better than machine-made seviyan because it tastes better.
Toufeeq Fatima, a housewife, prepares the ingredients a day before Eid so that she can serve the dish early on the festival day to her family and guests. She says that frying all the ingredients and soaking the vermicelli in ghee takes a lot of time and needs early preparation. Muslims across the state and city are likely to celebrate Eid on Saturday, depending on sighting of the moon.
