A Feast Beyond Borders: How Eid Al-Adha Is Celebrated Around The World
Eid Al-Adha 2026: From Iraq’s Tashreeb and Kleicha to India’s slow-cooked biryanis and Kyrgyzstan’s Beshbarmak, know more about the diverse culinary cultures from across the world
As much as Eid al-Adha is built around sacrifice, it is about sharing, community, and togetherness. Celebrated by Muslims across the world, the festival commemorates Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son, Ishmael, as an act of obedience towards God. This was before God intervened and provided a ram instead of Ishmael to be sacrificed, symbolising that devotion and dedication towards Almighty are more important than the act of sacrifice itself.
Today, qurbani (or sacrifice) remains central to the occasion, with the meat traditionally divided into three parts: one-third for the household, one-third for relatives and friends, and one-third for the poor and those in need.
While the significance of the festival remains universal, Eid tables look entirely different depending on which part of the world you find yourself in. In some places, meat is simmered slowly in giant communal pots. Elsewhere, it is layered into fragrant rice dishes, wrapped in pastry, or served over hand-cut noodles.
Amidst differences, there are recipes that are passed down through generations that not only define the celebrations but carry memories, and regional histories.
Tashreeb, Kleicha, And Batcha From Iraq
In Iraq, families often begin Eid al-Adha with Tashreeb. Known across parts of the Arab world as Sareed, this dish has been prepared for centuries, closely tied to prophetic traditions. Cooks place large pieces of sheep meat on bread and soak them in a rich broth, creating a meal that feeds many at once.
Abdullah Al-Karawi, a resident of Iraq, highlights the cultural and religious significance of this dish: “This dish is sunnah. People believe Prophet Muhammad really enjoyed it and it was prepared with the qurbani meat itself,” he added.
Building on these traditions, during Eid, Iraqi cooking typically uses just a couple of spices—often only turmeric and dried black lime, known as Noomi Basra. This choice allows the meat’s authentic flavours to shine. Sheep is the preferred choice in most Iraqi homes, though some regions also prepare camel. Notably, meat portions become larger for the festival, and the table is set for a true communal feast.
The celebration continues beyond the savoury dishes. Alongside Tashreeb, families bake Kleicha, Iraq’s iconic Eid pastry filled with dates or nuts, distributing the treats across homes and neighbourhoods. Batcha, a whole sheep’s head, is slowly cooked and served in some households. Platters laden with bread, onions, salads full of regional spices, dolma, and meat take centre stage; then, families gather to savour an Eid Al-Adha feast like none other.
Ouzi And Maamoul From Lebanon
In Lebanon, Eid lunches stretch for hours, with families lingering at the table long after the meal. At the centre is Ouzi, a rice-and-lamb dish central to Levantine celebrations and large gatherings.
The dish traces its origins to ancient Middle Eastern feasts. At these gatherings, rice, meat, and nuts symbolised abundance and warm hospitality. Ouzi features slow-cooked lamb layered over fragrant rice with almonds, pine nuts, cinnamon, cardamom, and spices. In some homes, the rice and meat are wrapped inside pastry and baked whole. This turns the dish into the centrepiece of the Eid table.
While speaking with a local source in Lebanon, I learned that for many Lebanese families, Eid is also closely associated with Maamoul. These delicate semolina cookies are filled with dates or nuts. They are closely tied to festive traditions across the Levant. Preparations often begin days before Eid Al-Adha and families gather to shape the pastries using carved wooden moulds passed down through generations.
The desserts are served throughout the day alongside Arabic coffee. Relatives and neighbours move from one home to another. Together, Ouzi and Maamoul capture two sides of Lebanese Eid traditions: the grandeur of the feast and the warmth of hospitality that surrounds it.
Kavurma And Baklawa, Turkey
In Turkey, one of the first dishes prepared after qurbani is Kavurma, where fresh lamb is slowly cooked in its own fat until tender. The dish dates back to the Ottoman Empire, when meat was preserved in rendered fat for long journeys and harsh winters. Over time, what began as a practical preservation method became inseparable from the festival of Eid Al-Adha itself.
Unlike heavily spiced meat dishes elsewhere, Turkish Kavurma relies on simplicity. Salt is often the only major seasoning, allowing the meat’s freshness to remain intact. It is served with rice pilaf, yoghurt, bread, and salads as families spend the day moving between homes, visiting relatives and guests.
For Ersin Karaoglan, a resident of Turkey, the dish carries family memories. “Prepared by my grandmother, she told me how it was originally prepared in big pots over an open fire,” Karaoglan said. The portions prepared during Eid are larger than those prepared for everyday meals, with huge quantities cooked for visitors.
And then comes Baklava. Rich with pistachios, syrup, and layers of delicate pastry, the dessert has remained an essential part of Turkish Eid tables for centuries. Plates of sweets and endless glasses of tea continue circulating through homes long after the main meal is over.
Beshbarmak, Kyrgyzstan
In Kyrgyzstan, Eid celebrations unfold around Beshbarmak, a dish that reflects the country’s nomadic history and deep traditions of hospitality. Its name translates directly to “five fingers,” referring to the traditional way it is eaten by hand.
Historically, horse meat occupied a place of honour across Central Asia, symbolising wealth, respect, and generosity towards guests. During Eid, that symbolism becomes even more significant. Large cuts of horse meat are slowly boiled for hours before being served over flat, handmade noodles, with broth poured generously over the top.
For Gulzada Suiumbekova, a local from Kyrgyzstan, the dish represents more than just meat cooked over fire; it is a ritual that defines the festival and brings people together.
“The meal is always communal. Giant platters are placed in the centre while family members and guests gather, reinforcing the idea that Eid is meant to be spent with loved ones,” said Suiumbekova. Alongside Beshbarmak come breads, fermented dairy drinks, sweets, and endless rounds of tea served throughout the day.
Even as modern kitchens and lifestyles change, the dish’s sentimental value remains untouched. “Even today, Eid does not feel complete without Beshbarmak,” Gulzada explains.
Mutton Biryani And Raan From India
In India, Eid al-Adha arrives with kitchens that seem to stay awake all day. Giant pots simmer for hours, spice-filled marinades rest overnight, and family recipes take over the house.
Across Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, Hyderabad, and Delhi, mutton biryani lies at the heart of the Eid table. Long-grain rice is layered carefully with saffron, fried onions, yoghurt marinades, and slow-cooked meat until the flavours settle deeply into one another. Alongside it sits mutton raan, where an entire leg of meat is marinated with regional spices before being roasted or cooked slowly until tender enough to fall apart.
“I learnt cooking this dish from my mother, and she learnt it from hers,” says Faiz Hasnain, a businessman from Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
Unlike simpler preparations elsewhere, Eid in India relies heavily on elaborate marinades, slow cooking, and layered flavours built gradually over hours.
Alongside elaborate meals come simpler culinary traditions too: fried liver preparations in the morning, different kinds of kebabs such as seekh kebab, chapta kebab, shammi kebab, and much more shared between relatives visiting throughout the day, with bowls of sheer khurma served once the feast finally slows down.
One Ritual, Countless Traditions
Across Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, India and beyond, Eid al-Adha meals reveal more than culinary differences. They show how one festival spans languages, landscapes, and histories while retaining the same emotional core: generosity, memory, sacrifice, and togetherness.
While the dishes themselves change from region to region, the ritual of qurbani remains constant everywhere, quietly tying these cultures together through faith and shared tradition. Some gather around giant platters of broth-soaked bread, others around noodles, biryanis, pastries, or slow-cooked meat, but almost everywhere, the purpose remains the same: to share food, stories, and celebration with everybody around the table.
Explore OT Eats: