A taste of harmony, a sharing of a culture, a gift of friendship

To observe the tradition that celebrates the landing of Noah's Ark, every year volunteers of Foundation for Inter-Cultural Dialogue (FID) prepares a sweet dish called "Noah's Pudding" aka Ashure and shares it as the symbol of friendship & as a goodwill sign with the neighbor congregations.

 Noah's pudding flyer

Click to see pictures

What is Asure?

Asure is a dessert made from various grains, nuts, and fruits. It is completely vegetarian. The making of asure is a common practice among Muslim and Christian people in the Middle East (albeit dish has different names). The name itself comes from the Hebrew word “Asor” (the tenth). It is traditionally shared with friends and neighbors.

The Legend

There is a legend about the origin of this dessert. It is as sweet as the dessert itself: When Noah’s ark came to rest on Mount Ararat in northeastern Turkey, they felt that a feast of celebration was called for. But their supplies were exhausted. However, they hunted through the ark and every little bit of food they could find, they put into the pudding and make themselves a splendid feast of asure. Therefore, sharing is in the spirit of asure - it is the symbol of unity among God’s creatures.

To commemorate that day, Muslims prepare Noah’s Pudding every year according to the Islamic calendar. The pudding is made by mixing dry beans and wheat together, and is then shared with neighbors and friends.

Sharing Noah’s pudding is a symbolic representation of the unity and essential relationship of humans to one another and to their Creator. People prepare the pudding at home and send a bowl to each of the neighbors in their neighborhood. As tradition goes the residents of forty houses to your east, west, north and south are considered neighbors. One has the responsibility of maintaining good relations with their neighbors regardless of what their religion or beliefs may be.

Noah’s pudding stands for the harmony of differences. Different ingredients come together, without losing their original taste, to serve a unique delight in Noah’s pudding. Likewise, we invite and encourage people from diverse cultural backgrounds to dialogue with each other, without losing their own cultural tastes.

Recipe for Noah's Pudding

(makes 10 servings)

Ingredients:

Exact ingredients depend on the cook’s creativity. Some common ingredients are: Wheat, beans, garbanzo beans, raisins, rice, apple, coconut, dried apricots, sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon.

• 1 cup wheat
• 1 cup white beans
• 1 cup garbanzo beans
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup almonds
• 3/4 cup peanuts
• 12 dried apricots
• 5 1/2 cups sugar

water (enough to cover)
topping: walnuts, cinnamon

Preparation:

1. Soak wheat, white beans, garbanzo beans and almonds in water overnight.
2. Boil the above ingredients; remove the outer shell or skin.
3. Soak the raisins in boiling water until they soften.
4. Put all the ingredients above (steps 1-3) in a large pot and boil. Add peanuts and almonds (peeled and cut in half) at this point.
5. Chop the apricot into small pieces; add to mixture along with sugar.
6. Boil for 10-15 minutes.
7. Enjoy your pudding!