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Due to increased sense of competition with friends and relatives, women seem to be under pressure to display their skills and her abilities during the holy month of Ramadan. And there is a significant increase in the cooking effort put by the women during Ramadan as compared to non-Ramadan period, according to a research released today.
The study released by AMRB, a leading Dubai based regional Market research and insights firm, said that newer anxieties are emerging for the housewife. Given that food consumption increases exponentially, there is a strong social expectation that she must cook most of the dishes herself. With families becoming more nuclear, cost of living going up and cost of hiring maids during Ramadan shooting off the roof, the pressure on her only magnifies. This is evident in the almost doubling of time spent on cooking during Ramadan vs. non Ramadan period.
The study found that there has been 43 per cent increase seen in the number of dishes prepared/cooked at home during Ramadan. Around 17 per cent more time spent in preparing / cooking each dish. Also, more quantity being prepared/ cooked due to increase in number of participants during each Ramadan consumption occasion.
It found that internationalization of the food platter is the new phenomena. A large number of international dishes have crept in and got accepted over time shown an open door to new categories. A strong desire among people to move towards modern dishes becoming evident. However, social pressures do not permit a marked shift towards these dishes. People end up being restricted to the ‘safer’ dishes to satisfy social norms. Yet an inherent desire to innovate leads to modification of dishes through addition of new ingredients – eg. Adding cheese dollups on kabsa to enhance flavor.
It said wastage consciousness is also on the rise. High inflation leading to stronger consciousness on wastage and judicious use of food. Need to preserve the sense of abundance yet avoid wastage.
At the moment there is dominance of rich, fattening foods and tendency to consume more yet low physical activity is a concern. Hence, takes small steps to enhance the health value of foods e.g.- adding some vegetables, milk as ingredients in main dishes, preparing fruit juices etc. Hence products with natural ingredients, items that can be served with natural ingredients such as salads, etc. playing up on the nutritional value and how it helps in the month of Ramadan in terms of sustenance will be preferred.
The AMRB Ramadan Connect study was conducted to get understanding, insights and a holistic perspective of the fascinating journey of housewives during Ramadan. This study helps to understand, reach and provide insights into consumer’s food and beverage consumption patterns, cultural nuances, trends, changes, media habits etc during Ramadan.
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