No one could ever imagine Qabel Street at Al-Balad's historical area without the stalls selling “balila” (chickpeas) during the holy month of Ramadan. Each year, balila sellers try to attract the attention of customers by promoting and praising their chickpeas using certain traditional sayings popular among Jeddawis. In the past, sellers of Balila used witty sayings to attract customers, such as “Oh balila, seven maids made you.” and “Oh balila, they dressed you with hot sauce and lemon. As traditions change around the world, the new generation of balila sellers do not want to be left behind. They are developing new and modern ways of promoting and attracting customers. The sellers of balila are attracting customers by saying “If you don't eat balila, your teeth will be broken” and “Dandana ya dandana, come and try our balila. One of the most striking features of balila sales this Ramadan is the number of young people involved in the profession. Most of them learned this business from their fathers who used to sell balila at the old districts of Al-Balad. The Saudi Gazette team met Abdul Aziz AbdulRahman, one of the oldest men selling balila in Qabel Street. He has been in the business at the same location for about 12 years now. Four years ago, he decided to bring his elder son Abdulrahman to work with him. “Having balila during the holy month of Ramadan is one of the old traditions of Hijazi people,” said Abdul Aziz. iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/avkylfFQz60?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen/iframe He said there are many kinds of chickpeas and only the best must be used because the customer will recognize the difference in quality. “I used to buy the Mexican chickpeas, but once the sponsor stopped importing them. So I started buying Indian chickpeas which are considered the best,” he explained. Although Abdul Aziz was reluctant to reveal the secret of making the chickpeas so tasty, the Saudi Gazette finally convinced him to do so. “You need to carefully hand pick the chickpeas one by one. Then, you should soak them for 24 hours at room temperature, changing the water frequently. After that, rinse them several times and cook them in fresh water. And then, they will be ready to be sold,” he explained He pointed out that the prices of chickpeas increased rapidly during Ramadan, along with the increases in the cost of other products. “One sack of chickpeas used to cost SR75 but I am now buying them for SR115,” he said. He added that even the prices of an eight kilo box of cucumbers which initially used to cost SR25 is now being sold for SR55. Balila sellers use cucumbers to make a famous sauce called “Torshi”, which is a mixture of cucumbers with sumac, salt, lemon and different spices. “Some sellers add carbonate in order to reduce the preparation time of the chickpeas and that is what spoils the taste of balila,” Abdul Aziz said. Balila is inexpensive, yet delicious and is extremely popular with the local people. A small cup of balila is sold for SR5, a medium cup for SR7 and a large one costs the customer SR10. If the customer wants to have some boiled potatoes, he usually has to pay another riyal.
