Women-led food businesses see brisk demand for mamoul ahead of eid

AMMAN — As Ramadan is drawing to a close, marking the beginning of Eid Al Fitr, women-led food businesses are witnessing a rise in sales, especially for mamoul.

Mamoul is a Middle Eastern butter cookie which is traditionally served during holidays and religious celebrations. It is usually made with semolina dough and is stuffed with date paste, walnuts or pistachio fillings.

Many home-based businesses that are run by Jordanian women witness a spike in orders during the holy month of Ramadan, as many families prefer traditional, home-cooked meals.

“Eid is incomplete without mamoul. It is automatically associated with our celebrations,” according to Um Tareq, the owner of a home-based food business in Amman.

Transforming cooking into a home-based business, Um Tareq told The Jordan Times that she prepares almost all traditional dishes. Before Ramadan, her customers ordered frozen snacks, and throughout the first two weeks of the holy month, she prepared limited menus of traditional dishes for a number of families. In the last 10 days, she starts receiving mamoul orders, she says.

According to Um Tareq, owning a home-based food business has its challenges, such as the limited client base. 

“Although throughout the years the number of my customers has grown, still, if I had a small shop in a vibrant place, I would have received more orders,” she said.

Um Tareq’s food orders are delivered to her customers either by herself or her daughter. Sometimes, customers come and pick up their orders, she added.

Samira Sultan, another home business operator, said that every year, and particularly during the last week of Ramadan, “I start receiving calls from my regular customers asking for mamoul”.

About five years ago, Sultan started selling mamoul to her neighbours, and realised it was a good business opportunity. 

Her daughter and a friend started helping her work, and now she receives at least 15 to 20 orders before each eid.

“Ramadan is a time during which I increased revenues by at least 30 per cent,” said Um Ahmad, a Jordanian in her 30s, who established her home-based kitchen two years ago in order to take care of her family.

Um Ahmad still works as a freelance cook in a restaurant in Zarqa. At the same time, she accepts mamoul orders during celebratory events.

“The taste of food that is not prepared in commercial kitchens is different. Its taste just feels like home,” Khloud Mansour, a customer who regularly orders from Um Ahmad, told The Jordan Times over the phone.