Hamila, a 40-year-old entrepreneur and owner of a Moroccan packaged food business in London, vividly recalls the excitement of the holiday when she was younger. She and her father would bring a whole sheep back to their apartment, where the women would gather to clean the organs and trotters in the bathtub. They had a specific order for eating the meat: organs on the first day of Eid al-Adha, head and trotters on the second day, and kebabs, tagines, or grills on the third day after the meat had rested. Eid al-Adha, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, is one of the two major Islamic holidays and occurs during the Hajj pilgrimage. It honors the story of prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail at the request of Allah, who ultimately provided a ram instead. Traditionally, people in the Islamic world have sacrificed a lamb, goat, cow, or camel at home and divided it among the needy, friends and relatives, and their immediate family. However, home butchering of animals is now prohibited in many countries, including parts of the Arab world where a significant Muslim population resides. Meat continues to play a central role in Eid al-Adha, also known as Eid al-Lahm or Festival of Meat by many Arabs. However, as traditional celebrations wane, particularly among Arab Muslims in the diaspora, new ways of observing the holiday are emerging. Areej Bazzari, a digital marketing director at Salesforce in San Francisco, reminisces about her childhood in Saudi Arabia and Jordan, where breakfast was the highlight of Eid al-Adha. The holiday table featured a variety of offal dishes cooked in different ways, creating a sense of camaraderie among family members. Bazzari fondly recalls the days when her Palestinian family would argue over who got to sit in front of which plate of organ meat during Eid celebrations. Since moving to Sonoma County in 2000, finding fresh organ meat has been a challenge, but her father occasionally manages to track some down to continue the tradition, although not with the same abundance as they were used to in Saudi Arabia. Bazzari treasures the way her Eid al-Adha celebrations have changed over the years, drawing on childhood memories and new cultural traditions learned from friends in the US. Eid al-Adha celebrations for her now typically involve a large gathering of family and friends, adorned with Eid decorations and a variety of dishes, including unique options like fattehs, shushbarak, and manaqeesh. However, dessert is always a taste of home, with her parents bringing back traditional treats from Saudi Arabia or Jordan every year. Ka’ak and ma’amoul, classic holiday cookies in the Arab world, are always present on the dessert table, along with cookies filled with dates or nuts. However, the main dish she plans to make for the holiday is mechoui, a slow-roasted leg of lamb which is a staple in her feast, valued for both its symbolic significance and delicious taste. The side dishes will consist mostly of salads and vegetables, in keeping with the lightness of summer. Eid al-Adha is tentatively scheduled for July 20, with the date varying each year due to the Islamic lunar calendar. In the past, the holiday was celebrated during cooler weather, but now it moves through the seasons. In the last five years, the holiday has taken place during the summer, which has impacted the food selections. Hamila values the changes from the usual customs. She believes that traditions should evolve and stresses the importance of participating in celebrations and connecting with the holiday's essence. Sumaya Obaid, a chef and TV personality from the United Arab Emirates, remembers her childhood when neighbors of different backgrounds would come together to sacrifice sheep for Eid al-Adha, then clean and share the meat. "The changes in laws have led to the disappearance of the traditional practice of slaughtering animals at home, which has affected the sense of community and collaboration during Eid celebrations," she explained. Despite this, the traditional dish of Machboos el-Eid, roasted lamb with saffron-laced spices, remains a staple in Emirates' celebrations. Each family has their own unique spice blend, with women taking pride in selecting fresh spices from the market to grind and prepare at home before the holiday. "It is truly unique," Obaid remarked about her own spice blend. “I will only give it to my daughter, as it is a highly confidential family secret,” said Obaid, emphasizing the spirit of generosity behind Eid al-Adha meals. He expressed hope that one day they could share their family's machboos with their guest. The recipe for Ka'ak el Eid includes ingredients for the dough such as semolina flour, all-purpose flour, butter, vegetable oil, nigella seeds, aniseed, fennel seeds, baking powder, instant yeast, sugar, salt, and warm water. The filling consists of date paste and ground cinnamon. The dough is prepared by combining the dry ingredients with butter and oil until the mixture resembles wet sand. Wrap and let sit at room temperature overnight (or for a few hours) to allow the semolina to soften and absorb the butter and oil. The following day (or later), mix in nigella seeds, aniseed, fennel, baking powder, yeast, sugar, and salt to the semolina mixture and gently combine with your hands. Add 1/2 cup warm water and knead gently for no more than 2 minutes. The combination is likely to remain crumbly at this stage. Gradually incorporate the remaining 1/2 cup of water into the mixture in 1-tablespoon portions, and knead for approximately 1 minute after each addition, being careful not to overwork it, until you can form a clump of dough that holds together when pinched between your fingers. It may be necessary to use less water or possibly more, adding a few tablespoons at a time, depending on various factors such as humidity or the type of flour used. The goal is to achieve a dough that easily comes together and maintains its shape when rolled into a log. Cover the mixture and allow it to sit while you get the filling ready. To prepare the filling, cover a medium baking sheet with plastic wrap or parchment paper and grease it with oil. Pour some oil into a small bowl to use for greasing your hands as needed. Mix the date paste and cinnamon in a bowl, kneading lightly with greased hands until well combined. Grease your hands and divide the filling into approximately 35 portions, each resembling a golf ball in size. Roll each portion into a string slightly thinner than your finger and about 4 to 5 inches long on a flat surface. Transfer the strings to a greased baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap until ready to use. The filled strings can sit at room temperature for a couple of days without any problems. Step 6 involves preparing the cookies by heating the oven to 400 degrees and lining baking sheets with parchment paper. Take a golf ball-sized piece of dough, keeping the remaining dough covered to maintain moisture, and roll it into a 4-inch long sausage shape. Flatten the dough gently with your fingers and place a date string on top, cutting off any excess to fit the dough. Leftover pieces can be used to lengthen shorter pieces or combined to create more filling strings. Wrap the dough around the date filling and roll it on a flat surface to create a longer, thin sausage shape, approximately 8 to 9 inches in length. Bring one end slightly over the other to form a ring shape. Use a thin object, like a chopstick, to press down all the way through and create two holes where the ends meet to secure them together for baking. Put the dough and filling on the baking sheet and continue until all the dough and filling are used. Bake the cookies until they are a pale golden brown, which should take around 15 to 18 minutes. Let them cool for at least 15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Once they are completely cool, store them in an airtight container. Cookies can be stored for 2 to 3 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature, or up to 3 months in the freezer. To make date paste, you can buy it at a Middle Eastern grocery store or make it by kneading pitted Medjool dates with olive oil by hand to get a pastelike consistency. Do not use a food processor as it will make the dates sticky and difficult to remove. Sajiyeh recipe yields 2 to 4 servings and takes a total of 40 minutes to make. Ingredients include olive oil, beef, Lebanese seven-spice blend, sea salt, onion, bell peppers, and jalapeños or green bell pepper. Serve with saj bread, pita, naan, or flour tortillas. Heat olive oil in a cast-iron pan over medium heat until it is shimmering and hot, but not smoking. Add the meat strips, spice blend, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid released by the meat evaporates and the meat begins to brown on all sides, which should take about 10 minutes. Once the meat is browned, pour in 1/2 cup of water, cover the pan, and cook until the water evaporates again and oil is visible, around 5 to 7 minutes. Repeat the same steps: Pour in another 1/2 cup of water, cover the pan, and let it cook until the water evaporates and the oil is released. Then add the onion, pepper, jalapeños, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook uncovered, stirring regularly, until the onions are browned and the meat begins to soften, which should take about 4 minutes. Add an additional 1/2 cup of water and continue cooking uncovered, stirring occasionally, until some of the water evaporates and a thick sauce coats the meat and vegetables, approximately 3 minutes. Remove from heat and serve right away with bread to soak up the meat and gravy. You can substitute the seven-spice blend with a combination of ground allspice, ground cinnamon, ground black pepper, ground cumin, and a touch of nutmeg.