Traditional delicacies : Haji Taj Muhammad and his seven camels
For the past 24 years, this businessman makes the trek to other districts to choose several camels to slaughter.
PESHAWAR:
Every neighbourhood in every city has that one house which people drive to just to stare at the livestock tethered outside for what is colloquially known as Bakra Eid. In the walled city within Peshawar, that house belongs to Haji Taj Muhammad, of seven camel fame.
Taj Muhammad is a resident of Dhaki Naalbandi and a cloth merchant by profession. After 24 years of bringing seven camels for slaughter, Taj is quite the famous neighbourhood personality. And he plans to continue with the Eidul Azha tradition.
When he started his tradition, a camel cost Rs40,000—roughly the cost of two or three goats today—and now, the same quality animal costs Rs1.25 lakh. Since camels are not available in the city’s cattle markets, Taj Muhammad has to go to Rustam, Mardan or Attock in Punjab and come back with seven animals, adding to his cost.
“It’s easier for us to buy them in Rustam but the prices are higher there in comparison with Punjab,” he says. “When you go to Attock, you’ll find them in large numbers at comparatively cheaper prices.”
The true spirit
However, Taj Muhammad does not spend Rs0.9 million to keep all that meat for his own family. “It is distributed among the needy,” says Taj Muhammad.
Each animal yields around 250 kilogrammes of meat and the distribution of the meat comes with its own problems.
“We slaughter the animals one by one and people come and take the meat; we don’t have to distribute it door to door,” Taj Muhammad tells The Express Tribune. “However, every year one camel is slaughtered a day ahead of Eid; the meat is cooked and distributed with naan soon after Eid prayers.” The meat of the six other camels is distributed uncooked.
A conga line of sacrificial animals
“For our own family we sacrifice a bull and some goats,” he explains. After years of these rituals, Taj Muhammad has become somewhat of an expert in how to slaughter different animals.
“The technique to slaughter a camel is totally different from that of slaughtering a cow,” says Taj Muhammad. The disturbing realities of slaughtering sacrificial animals come to the fore as he explains how a camel has to be slaughtered while it is still on its feet. “The slaughter of a cow or goat is called zabeeha but the slaughter of a camel is called nehar,” he says.
Exactly what motivated Taj Muhammad to start the sacrifice of camels two decades ago? It all lies in the origin of the Eidul Azha tradition. Since it is said that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) sacrificed camels when he performed Hajj, Taj Muhammad decided to follow the tradition. “But it is not necessary we sacrifice seven camels each year; it’s not a fixed number.”
“Sometime I buy five camels, sometimes seven, depending on my financial strength,” says the cloth merchant.
A matter of taste
Taj Muhammad finds camel meat is a tasty delicacy if it is cooked properly, a little more savoury than the usual umami flavour of most meat.
“Camel meat is a little tougher compared with beef but it tastes great,” he says. “Not every butcher can slaughter camels,” and he had the service of a specialist in this regard who charge Rs2,000 per camel – a discounted price for Haji sahib especially.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 6th, 2014.
Every neighbourhood in every city has that one house which people drive to just to stare at the livestock tethered outside for what is colloquially known as Bakra Eid. In the walled city within Peshawar, that house belongs to Haji Taj Muhammad, of seven camel fame.
Taj Muhammad is a resident of Dhaki Naalbandi and a cloth merchant by profession. After 24 years of bringing seven camels for slaughter, Taj is quite the famous neighbourhood personality. And he plans to continue with the Eidul Azha tradition.
When he started his tradition, a camel cost Rs40,000—roughly the cost of two or three goats today—and now, the same quality animal costs Rs1.25 lakh. Since camels are not available in the city’s cattle markets, Taj Muhammad has to go to Rustam, Mardan or Attock in Punjab and come back with seven animals, adding to his cost.
“It’s easier for us to buy them in Rustam but the prices are higher there in comparison with Punjab,” he says. “When you go to Attock, you’ll find them in large numbers at comparatively cheaper prices.”
The true spirit
However, Taj Muhammad does not spend Rs0.9 million to keep all that meat for his own family. “It is distributed among the needy,” says Taj Muhammad.
Each animal yields around 250 kilogrammes of meat and the distribution of the meat comes with its own problems.
“We slaughter the animals one by one and people come and take the meat; we don’t have to distribute it door to door,” Taj Muhammad tells The Express Tribune. “However, every year one camel is slaughtered a day ahead of Eid; the meat is cooked and distributed with naan soon after Eid prayers.” The meat of the six other camels is distributed uncooked.
A conga line of sacrificial animals
“For our own family we sacrifice a bull and some goats,” he explains. After years of these rituals, Taj Muhammad has become somewhat of an expert in how to slaughter different animals.
“The technique to slaughter a camel is totally different from that of slaughtering a cow,” says Taj Muhammad. The disturbing realities of slaughtering sacrificial animals come to the fore as he explains how a camel has to be slaughtered while it is still on its feet. “The slaughter of a cow or goat is called zabeeha but the slaughter of a camel is called nehar,” he says.
Exactly what motivated Taj Muhammad to start the sacrifice of camels two decades ago? It all lies in the origin of the Eidul Azha tradition. Since it is said that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) sacrificed camels when he performed Hajj, Taj Muhammad decided to follow the tradition. “But it is not necessary we sacrifice seven camels each year; it’s not a fixed number.”
“Sometime I buy five camels, sometimes seven, depending on my financial strength,” says the cloth merchant.
A matter of taste
Taj Muhammad finds camel meat is a tasty delicacy if it is cooked properly, a little more savoury than the usual umami flavour of most meat.
“Camel meat is a little tougher compared with beef but it tastes great,” he says. “Not every butcher can slaughter camels,” and he had the service of a specialist in this regard who charge Rs2,000 per camel – a discounted price for Haji sahib especially.
Every Eidul Azha hundreds of people assemble in the small maidan (space) in Dhaki Naalbandi to witness the butchering of these graceful animals, known as the ship of the desert and Haji Taj Muhammad is very proud of it. The effort he puts in comes full circle when people come and eat with him and his family.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 6th, 2014.