Hyderabad: With Eid Al Adha fast approaching, families are queuing up in a mad rush at local bakeries to purchase the ubiquitous ‘double ki roti’ (bread) to make Double ka Meetha. What Sheerkhorma is to Eid ul Fitr, the mouth-watering sweet is synonymous with the Eid Al Adha festival.
A long-standing cultural practice among families in Hyderabad, many prepare the Double ka Meetha delicacy on Eid Al Adha and serve it to the guests who visit to greet them on the festival day. Long queues become common at prominent bakeries in the city, with men holding cloth bags rushing there to purchase the special bread used for preparing the sweet.
A long and deeply baked bread is used in preparing Double ka Meetha on Eid ul Adha day in Muslim homes, a practice that has existed from when it was part of the erstwhile Hyderabad state under the Nizams, which comprised Telangana, parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka. Mohd Muzammil, a baker at Fateh Darwaza said that in the run up to Eid Al Adha they sell a huge quantity of bread.
“Irrespective of social status people buy it to prepare the sweet at their home and serve to guests,” he told Siasat.com. The price of the bread sold before the festival is a bit higher than the regular variety and it costs between Rs. 100 and Rs. 120 this year.
“The price is little higher as the size compared to regular bread is bigger,” said Afroz, a baker at Yakutpura. To cater to the huge demand during Eid Al Adha, the bakers start the preparatory works around two to three days before the festival day.
“Preparation involves placing orders for firewood, maida flour, and other edibles,” said Zeshan, a baker at Bahadurpura. Although there is no religious significance to prepare Double ka Meetha anywhere and due to the customary practices, families still insist on preparing the delicacy on Eid day.
“For at least the past two generations we have prepared the delicacy at our house on Eid AL Adha as a tradition,” said Noorjahan, a government school teacher. Prominent hotels, bakeries and catering agencies have started preparing the sweets in their kitchens, which they sell to customers for between Rs. 200 to Rs. 400 a kilogram.
